A 24-year-old mother-of-three was murdered on a roadside in Chennai, India, after her estranged husband lured her back home via Instagram and then slit her throat during a drive. The victim, identified as Devaki, died after her husband Chinna, 34, attacked her with a knife on an isolated stretch of road.
Marital Dispute Over Social Media
Police revealed the couple had been involved in frequent arguments over Devaki's online activity and her friendships with other men on Instagram. Following a bitter dispute over her social media accounts, Devaki moved out of the marital home and went to live with her mother in a neighbouring town.
Chinna then reached out to her on Instagram, messaging his estranged wife and begging her to return for the sake of their three young children - two daughters and a son. Devaki agreed to meet him, and they spent around two hours talking at their former home before Chinna suggested they go for a drive in his auto-rickshaw.
Attack on Isolated Road
Chinna persuaded Devaki, who had recently been learning to drive the three-wheeled vehicle, to take the wheel while he sat in the passenger seat behind her. When they reached an isolated stretch of road, he pulled out a concealed knife and slashed her throat from behind. Devaki collapsed onto the tarmac with catastrophic injuries as her attacker fled the scene.
Terrified passers-by spotted her lying on the road and immediately raised the alarm with emergency services. Detectives launched an investigation, tracing the auto-rickshaw's registration number using eyewitness accounts from the scene.
Arrest and Confession
Chinna was tracked down hours later, found drinking with friends behind a nearby police station. Officers arrested him around midnight. During police questioning, he confessed to the killing, admitting he suspected his wife of having an affair with another man and had deliberately lured her back via social media to carry out the attack. He remains in custody as murder investigations continue.
