The accused was arrested and the body was sent for autopsy, police said. (Representational)
A drunk man allegedly killed his wife and buried her body in the backyard of his house in western Odisha's Sambalpur district after heated arguments over a turtle curry that got burnt while cooking, police said on Friday.
The 35-year-old woman's body was exhumed on Thursday as her husband confessed to the crime after initially claiming that she was missing for more than a month, they said.
Ranjan Bading, 36, had illegally brought a turtle to his house at Routpara village in Badmal panchayat, 166 km southwest of Sambalpur city, on the day of the crime a month ago, police said.
Bading asked his wife, Sabitri, to cook it, but the curry got slightly burnt while cooking, leading to an argument. The man beat his wife severely and left the house after she fell unconscious, a police officer said.
When Bading returned home, he found her dead. Subsequently, he buried the body in the backyard of the house and told everyone that Sabitri had left in anger, Jamankira police station inspector Premjit Das said The matter came to light after the woman's mother approached police regarding the disappearance of her daughter, he said.
When police went to the village and asked Bading about his wife, he ran from the spot. The man was caught by the police team and villagers, following which he confessed to the crime.
The accused was arrested and the body was sent for autopsy, police said.
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