Govinda Rao, a banana vendor residing in Thatichetlapalem, Visakhapatnam, decided to solve his domestic problems by killing his wife Kalyani.
On Monday morning, while Kalyani was walking along a road, Govind jumped at her with the knife he usually reserved for chopping off bunches of bananas off their pseudostems.
The locals were shell-shocked and silently witnessed the husband slit his wife's throat, but when Govind fled the crime scene, the neighbours rushed the bleeding victim to a hospital.
According to the locals, a drunk Govinda Rao would regularly harass his wife for money. It has been reported that Kalyani had recently filed a complaint at the local police station, charging her husband of harassing her. Her neighbours are testifying to the charges of harassment.
Unable to cope with her husband's misbehaviour, the mother of 2 had filed for divorce. The hearing of the case is scheduled for tomorrow, and a frustated Govinda Rao attacked his wife after she refused to withdraw her request for divorce.
Kalyani is at present battling for life at the hospital, and the assailant is in police custody. Cases under 4 sections have been filed against him, and the stong evidences acquired and the eye-witness accounts mean that he will not slip away.
Women's organisations have pledged their support to Kalyani, and they have stated that they will ensure that Rao is punished.