CHENNAI: In a shocker, a 36-year-old woman was arrested for murdering her husband, an army man, and passing it off as a natural death. The murder happened in the army quarters in Avadi two months ago.

The police identified the arrested person as V Leema Rosemary. The police revealed that on May 11 she had earlier told her neighbours that her husband, Velankanni Das did not wake up after going to sleep.

The police who registered a case of unnatural death moved Velankanni Das’s body to a government hospital for post-mortem examination.

Velankanni Das was a Naik in the Indian Army and lived with his wife at the army quarters in Avadi. Based on post-mortem reports, police learnt that the army man was murdered and after the investigations, his wife confessed to the murder.

Police investigations revealed that the deceased used to allegedly verbally abuse Leema and her parents in an inebriated state regularly.

On May 10, he came home drunk and indulged in abusive behaviour. In a sudden turn of events, Leema strangled him with a saree and killed him, according to the police.

Leema was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody, the police said.