A fortnight after a 22-year-old woman died at NRS Medical College and Hospital, apparently after consuming carbolic acid, police arrested her husband on Thursday.
The post-mortem report suggested that the death was homicidal in nature, police said on Friday.
Ganesh Das was arrested from his home on Maniktala Main Road for allegedly administering corrosive poison to his wife, Pritam Kumari.
A murder case has been initiated against Das following a complaint lodged by sub-inspector Shyamal Oraon at Narkeldanga police station.
The officer had collected the post-mortem report from the autopsy surgeon at NRS, where the woman died on December 30.
“The post-mortem said that the death was due to the ‘effects of pathological changes in the vital organs resulting as sequelae of antemortem corrosive poisoning’,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police said. “The report stated that ‘the corrosive substance was administered both externally, through contact with the skin, and internally, by ingestion, and that the manner of death is homicidal’.”
Based on the sub-inspector’s complaint, a case was drawn up under Sections 103 and 124 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder and causing grievous hurt by use of acid.
Investigations revealed that Das, who works in a private firm, married Pritam of Bihar’s Nalanda, on May 11, 2022, and the couple then stayed at his Narkeldanga Main Road home. In June 2023, Pritam gave birth to a boy.
“During interrogation, Das said that he was to attend a colleague’s wedding on December 15, when his wife insisted on accompanying him. He said that she was not invited, but she persisted. Das later relented, and both attended the wedding,” a senior officer said.
Two days later, on December 17, Pritam allegedly insisted on attending the reception. Das had claimed that he left for the reception alone and later learnt that his wife had consumed carbolic acid and had been admitted to NRS.
Pritam’s father reached Calcutta after learning that his daughter had consumed acid.
“The woman died on December 30 at 5.30pm. The next day, a case of unnatural death was drawn up, and the body was sent for post-mortem,” the officer said. The post-mortem findings prompted the police to register a fresh case against the husband, following which Das was arrested.
“We want to interrogate him further to find out the motive,” the officer said.