Man kills wife, 7-month-old daughter with hammer in Ballari, surrenders before police

BALLARI: A man allegedly bludgeoned his wife and their seven-month-old daughter to death with a hammer in Ballari’s Andralu area following a domestic dispute on Thursday night, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Rajeshwari (25) and her seven-month-old daughter Ashwini. The accused husband Honnuru Swamy, fled the spot after committing the crime. However, fearing that he would be beaten up by villagers, he surrendered before the APMC police on Friday.

Police said there had been ongoing quarrels in the family for the past few days as Honnuru Swamy suspected his wife’s fidelity. He would even thrash the child claiming that she was not his daughter. The argument reportedly escalated late Thursday night, leading to the gruesome incident. The accused allegedly attacked his wife and child with a hammer, killing both of them on the spot.

As soon as they received information about the incident, police from the APMC police station rushed to the spot and conducted an inspection. The bodies have been shifted to the hospital for post-mortem. A case has been registered and further investigations are underway from multiple angles. The police are also questioning Honnuru Swamy’s mother.

Meanwhile, the parents of the deceased woman have demanded stringent punishment for the accused. (With agency inputs)