West Bengal native held for murdering wife, burying body in Kerala’s Kottayam

The police on Sunday (October 19, 2025) took a 31-year-old West Bengal native into custody for allegedly murdering his wife and burying her body near their house at Ayarkunnam here. The accused was identified as Soni S.K., a native of Dharapara in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

The police said the accused was working as a construction labourer in Ayarkunnam and was taken into custody from a railway station in Ernakulam while allegedly attempting to flee to his home town. Soni is accused of murdering his wife, Alpana Khathoon, 28, also of Murshidabad, and burying her near an under-construction house at Ayarkunnam, where the couple worked.

According to the police, Soni had lodged a missing persons complaint on October 17,2025 claiming that his wife had gone missing three days earlier. In his statement, Soni said Khathoon had accompanied him to the market to buy groceries around 8 a.m. on October 14, 2025 but was not at home when he returned from work around 6.30 p.m. The police, however, grew suspicious as he reported the incident only after three days. Further, CCTV footage from the area too did not show any trace of the woman.

Failed to cooperate

Following this, Soni was asked to appear before the police on Saturday (October 18, 2025) for questioning. He, however, failed to cooperate and left for Ernakulam to board a train to West Bengal with his two children. Acting on a tip-off, the police detained him and brought him back to Ayarkunnam for interrogation.

Police officials said Soni confessed to murdering Khathoon at a construction site by hitting her on the head with an iron rod and later strangling her. He murdered Khathoon on suspicion that she was having an extramarital affair. Efforts are under way to recover the body.

The police said Soni’s arrest would be formally recorded after the woman’s body is retrieved.