CHENNAI: A 40-year-old woman, who allegedly killed her husband after he attacked her during a quarrel over his alcohol addiction, was arrested by the police in Maduranthagam.

The deceased, Venkatesan (45), was working as a load worker in the Maduranthagam market, while his wife, Sandhya (40), works as a domestic helper.

According to the police, the couple used to quarrel frequently over his alcohol addiction. On Wednesday night, Venkatesan returned home drunk and assaulted Sandhya. Unable to bear the assault, Sandhya fought back. During the fight, Venkatesan sustained a head injury and collapsed near the entrance of their house.

When he failed to get up for a long time, Sandhya checked on him and realised that he had died. She moved his body inside the house and kept it there overnight. On Thursday morning, she raised an alarm, claiming that her husband fell down after consuming alcohol excessively and sustained a fatal head injury. However, the neighbours were aware of the quarrel between the couple the previous night, and alerted the Maduranthagam police.

The police who visited the spot recovered Venkatesan's body and sent it to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The preliminary examination indicated that he had sustained injuries after an assault. Later, during interrogation, Sandhya confessed to attacking her husband in a fit of anger after he assaulted her. She reportedly told the police that he fell and hit his head on the ground during the altercation.

The police arrested Sandhya on charges of murder and further investigation is on.