Lecturer arrested for killing wife

Shillong, Aug 18 (UNI) A lecturer of a Shillong-based polytechnic institute was arrested for allegedly murdering his teacher wife Swagata Choudhury during a train journey in West Bengal about seven months ago, police said today.

Pinaki (Babla) Choudhury, a lecturer of Mawlai Polytechnic, allegedly killed his wife Swagata by throwing her out of a train in West Bengal on January 24. His 40-year-old wife was then a teacher of Jail Road Boys' Secondary School, Shillong.

Police said Choudhury's arrest came after the family members of the victim formally lodged an FIR against him.

Earlier, Swagata was reported to have died in a bizarre accident near Kharagpur, West Bengal while she was returning from a family vacation at Puri by Puri Express.

Only Swagata's husband and daughter had accompanied her while travelling by train.

According to the information received here, at 0530 hours of January 24, when the train came to a halt at Datun Station, West Bengal, somebody snatched Swagata's handbag containing valuables.

Most of her co-passengers were asleep at the time of the incident.

The lady gave the thief a chase across the platform and managed to retrieve the bag. When she was returning to the compartment where her husband and daughter were asleep, the train was already in motion.

Her desperate bid to board the moving train resulted in disaster.

She fell on the tracks, leading to serious injuries to her chest and right arm. Some railway staff picked her up and took her to the nearest hospital.

Woken up by her shrieks, some co-passengers tried to stop the train by pulling the alarm chain but in vain.

Only after the train had reached the next station Kharagpur, the husband could alight from it and leave by road for the place of the accident.

Meanwhile, Swagata died from excessive bleeding on way to Kharagpur where she was supposed to get better medical attention.

After completion of all legal formalities by police, the last remains of the deceased were consigned to flames at Kharagpur itself.

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