Madikeri: The District Crime Branch has cracked the murder of a woman, whose body was found in a highly decomposed state near Arameri village in Virajpet taluk three days ago, with the arrest of her husband.

While the deceased woman has been identified as Marzina Khatun (26), a native of Assam, her husband Usman Ali (40), also of Assam, is the one who has been arrested.

Marzina Khatun was the second wife of Usman Ali of Dorang district in Assam and the couple worked as labourers at a Coffee Estate at Heggala in Virajpet.

After joining work, the couple used to quarrel over an issue concerning Uman Ali’s first wife.

Marzina Khatun, who was upset over domestic disharmony, left her female child with the first wife of Usman Ali and joined another Estate about a fortnight ago. Khatun used to pester her husband Usman Ali to ditch his first wife, when Usman Ali plotted to do away with Marzina Khatun.

As per the plot, Usman Ali took Marzina to Mallamatti Estate on Jan.3 and strangled her to death. He later threw the body to a nearby bush.

Mallamathi Estate Manager, who visited the estate on Jan.26, found foul smell emanating from the estate, when he directed the estate workers to locate the root of the foul smell.

The estate workers, who carried out a search, found a decapitated and decomposed body of a woman, following which the estate Manager lodged a complaint with the Virajpet Rural Police.

Following registration of the case, Kodagu SP Dr. Suman D. Pennekar formed two teams — one headed by the District Crime Branch and other by Virajpet Circle Inspector Kumar Aradhya.

After a thorough investigation, the Crime Branch succeeded in cracking the murder with the interrogation of Usman Ali, who confessed to have murdered his second wife Marzina Khatun as she pestered him to ditch his first wife. The Police suspect that Marzina Khatun’s body, which lied in the bush for days, was mutilated by wild animals.

District Crime Branch Inspector M.A. Mahesh, Virajpet Circle Inspector Kumar Aradhya, PSI Bopanna and other Police personnel were part of the investigation.