Chintamani: A 30-year-old man allegedly hacked his estranged wife and her younger sister to death while they were asleep at their home at JJ Colony in Chintamani, 85km from Bengaluru, early Monday and surrendered before police.The accused, Ejaz, a resident of Gulpet in Kolar, allegedly travelled to Chintamani on his motorcycle in the early hours of Monday. Police said he reached the house around 6.15am and attacked his wife, Shama, 25, and her sister, Reshma, 18, with a sharp weapon, inflicting fatal injuries to their necks. Both died on the spot.According to police, Shama’s three young children were present in the house at the time of the attack. After allegedly killing the women, Ejaz took the children on his motorcycle to his residence in Gulpet, Kolar, left them there, and then walked into Gulpet police station at 8.30am. Kolar police immediately alerted Chintamani police.Kushal Chousky, superintendent of police, Chikkaballapura, said Shama had been staying at her parental home in Chintamani for the past four months after coming there to attend her mother’s last rites. She did not return to her husband’s house thereafter, leading to frequent disputes between the couple.“Ejaz had been repeatedly asking Shama to return to Kolar with their three children, but she refused. Preliminary probe suggests this may have been the motive behind the crime,” the SP said.Family members alleged that the couple had a troubled marriage since their wedding about eight years ago. Ejaz, who repaired sheet-metal items and almirahs for a living, was reportedly addicted to alcohol and gambling and frequently harassed his wife.Relatives claimed that village elders had intervened several times to resolve the disputes, but the harassment continued. They alleged that Ejaz had repeatedly threatened to kill Shama and her sisters. After her mother’s death, Shama chose to stay at her parental home and had reportedly told her family she no longer wished to live with him.
