The police on Sunday (November 30, 2025) arrested a man hailing from Tirunelveli, who hacked his wife to death at a women’s hostel in Coimbatore and posted a selfie with her corpse as his WhatsApp status.
S. Balamurugan, 32, from Tharuvai in Tirunelveli district, was arrested for murdering his wife B. Sreepriya, 30, also from the same district.
The police said the couple has two sons and a daughter. Sreepriya was living separated from Balamurugan due to alleged differences of opinion, as per preliminary findings by the police.
She was working in a private establishment in Coimbatore and was residing at a women’s hostel in Raju Naidu Layout near 100 Feet Road, Gandhipuram.
According to the police, Sreepriya was close to a relative of Balamurugan. He came to know about the alleged relationship and decided to confront his wife.
The police said that Balamurugan came to the hostel, where Sreepriya stayed on Sunday morning. He met his wife and demanded that she accompany him to Tirunelveli. However, the woman declined, leading to a heated argument between them on the portico of the hostel.
Balamurugan took out a machete that he carried and hacked Sreepriya multiple times. She died on the spot.
The police said that Balamurugan did not attempt to flee the spot after the murder but sat on a chair near his deceased wife. He took a selfie with the corpse and posted it as his WhatsApp status.
The Rathinapuri police rushed to the spot after being alerted about the murder and took Balamurugan into custody. The police arrested him for murder. The body of the deceased woman was shifted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Published – November 30, 2025 07:48 pm IST
