A 27-year-old woman was killed by a man who mistook her for his wife on Netaji Road in Ambur town, near Tirupattur, in the early hours of Saturday.
The police said the victim N. Kausa was sleeping along with a few residents, including D. Dhanalakshmi, 35, on a footpath in the town. C. Devendra, 49, the husband of Dhanalakshmi, stabbed Kausa instead of his wife. The victim’s shouting woke up the others. Devendra realised his mistake and tried to stab his wife, injuring her in the neck. He was restrained by the others and handed over the Ambur town police.
Kausa died on the spot, and her body was sent to the Government Taluk Hospital in Ambur for a post-mortem. A case has been filed by the Ambur town police. Ms. Dhanalakshmi was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Initial inquiries revealed that Devendra was a resident of Tiruvannamalai town. He was involved in the cattle business, especially milch cows, for many years. His first wife, D. Renukambal, 45, died two years ago. He met Ms. Dhanalakshmi, a mother of two, as part of his cattle business in the temple town many months ago and married her. The couple were living in the temple town.
After a misunderstanding between the couple led to a quarrel, Ms. Dhanalakshmi ran way to Ambur a few days ago. However, Devendra followed her and asked her to stay with him. When Ms. Dhanalakshmi refused, the angered Devendra attempted to kill her, the police said.