UP Man Kills Wife In Delhi Hotel, Arrested After Confessing To Cops On Call

A woman was found dead in a hotel room in Delhi after her husband called the Uttar Pradesh Police, confessing to strangling his 24-year-old wife to death over suspicion of infidelity, officials said on Saturday.

The accused husband, Gopal Sharma (24), who ran off to his native place in Mathura, was arrested by the local police and later handed over to the Delhi Police, they said.

At around 3 am on Saturday, the Highway Police Station in Mathura called the manager of New Victoria Hotel, located in Delhi's Paharganj area, and asked him to check one of their rooms, citing information provided by Gopal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan said.

Upon checking the room, hotel manager Prem Kumar discovered a woman lying motionless on the bed. He immediately informed the local police, and a team rushed to the spot and confirmed that the woman had been strangled, he added.

Initial investigation revealed that Gopal and his wife, Kriti Sharma, had checked into the hotel at 6.35 pm on June 20. At around 9 pm, the man left the hotel alone, informing the staff he was going to get food, the DCP said.

However, he never returned to the hotel and instead fled to Mathura, the police said.

"Later, from Mathura, Gopal made a distress call to the 112 emergency number and claimed that he had killed his wife. Acting on the information, Mathura police traced him and detained him at the Highway Police Station. They subsequently alerted Delhi Police," the DCP added.

The accused was later handed over to Delhi Police's Paharganj police station, where he was formally arrested.

During interrogation, Gopal confessed to the crime and told investigators that he suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair, which led to a heated argument and in a fit of rage, he strangled Kriti to death, the police said.

It was not immediately known why the couple, residents of Mathura, came to Delhi.

A case of murder has been registered and further investigation is underway. The body has been sent for post-mortem and efforts are being made to contact her family members, they said. 

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