Woman attacks husband with bat, hides him alive inside a makeshift duct at her home in India

A 38-year-old woman has been arrested in Maharashtra’s Baramati for allegedly attempting to kill her husband and conceal his body inside a makeshift duct at their home, police said.

The accused, identified as Sharmila Pravin Jagtap, was arrested after her father-in-law, 71-year-old Prakash Jagtap, filed a complaint at Baramati police station on Wednesday.

Assistant Police Inspector Shashikant Ingawale, who is investigating the case, said the alleged attack on Sharmila’s husband, Pravin, took place between July 30 and Aug.1.

Police said Sharmila allegedly poisoned Pravin before assaulting him with a bat, leaving him unconscious. She then allegedly placed him inside a rectangular duct that had been constructed at the residence and covered him with a cloth.

Investigators said she planned to conceal him further by covering the duct with a stone slab. However, unable to complete the work herself, she allegedly called workers to the house.

According to Ingawale, the workers became suspicious while placing the stone over the duct on August 1 after noticing movement from inside.

They reportedly looked inside and were shocked to find Pravin alive. The workers then alerted police through the emergency Dial 112 service.

A police team rushed to the residence and rescued Pravin before taking him to hospital. He is currently reported to be in stable condition.

Police said the alleged attack appears to have stemmed from a domestic dispute. The couple have two children, who were not at home when the incident took place.

The family was initially reluctant to lodge a complaint, but later approached police, leading to the registration of a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including attempt to murder.

Sharmila is expected to be produced before a court, where police will seek her custody for further investigation.