PILIBHIT: A 37-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly strangling her husband to death after drugging him and her family members with a cold drink mixed with sleeping pills following her separation from her lover in UP’s Pilibhit, news agency PTI reported on Saturday.According to police, the accused, Mamta, allegedly confessed to killing her husband, Umashankar (42), during interrogation.The couple had been married for 20 years and had two children — an 18-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.The incident came to light on Friday night when their daughter woke up after hearing a noise and alerted her brother Vikas. The siblings allegedly found their father lying on the bed with a saree tied around his neck, leading them to suspect that he had been strangled.Umashankar was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. His body was later sent for a post-mortem examination.During the investigation, police said the daughter told them that Mamta had brought a cold drink home on Friday evening and allegedly mixed sleeping pills in it before serving it to the family members. Police said Mamta later went to the rooftop with Umashankar, while the children went downstairs to sleep.According to police, the preliminary probe revealed that Umashankar had travelled to Gujarat for work in February 2024. During that period, Mamta allegedly developed a relationship with a neighbour, identified as Nakul Bhavesh (38), and wanted to marry him through a court marriage.Family members told police that the relationship led to frequent arguments between the couple. Around six months ago, Umashankar had brought Mamta back to Pilibhit.Police said Mamta allegedly fled after the murder. A search operation was launched with the help of more than 50 locals, following which she was found hiding in a field around 300 metres from her house while allegedly trying to escape from the area.
