Wife stabs ex-Army man to death: How a 'cooked veggie' for dinner led to murder

Police arrested the accused, identified as Nirmala Kharadi.

AHMEDABAD: A dinner-time argument over a vegetable cooked at home allegedly ended in murder in Ahmedabad's Naroda, where a 34-year-old woman is accused of stabbing her husband, a retired Army serviceman, in the chest with a kitchen knife. Dilip Kharadi, 39, who worked as a contractual driver with Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC), was rushed to Shalby Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Police arrested his wife, Nirmala Kharadi, and registered a murder case against her. The couple's two children are now left without their father, while their mother remains in police custody.

Argument over dinner escalated into fatal confrontation The incident took place around midnight on Thursday at the couple's residence in Naroda Smart City-2. According to Naroda police inspector B M Katariya, the couple had reportedly been arguing frequently over domestic and financial matters for nearly a year. The latest confrontation allegedly began when Dilip questioned his wife about the particular vegetable she had prepared for dinner. The disagreement escalated into a heated exchange, with both allegedly abusing each other. Police said Nirmala subsequently picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Dilip on the left side of his chest. Katariya said investigators would question the accused to establish the sequence of events and what exactly led to the fatal confrontation.

Woman allegedly informed brother-in-law about stabbing The incident came to light after Nirmala allegedly called her brother-in-law, Mukesh, around midnight and told him that she had stabbed Dilip in the chest during an argument. She allegedly informed him that her husband had become unconscious and that she was taking him to Shalby Hospital for treatment. On Friday afternoon, Mukesh informed his father, Somaji Kharadi, that Dilip had been injured in a quarrel and was admitted to hospital. Somaji, 73, accompanied by other family members, rushed there. However, doctors informed the family that Dilip had succumbed to his injuries.

Father noticed stab wound and other injuries According to the complaint filed by Somaji, a retired unarmed assistant sub-inspector with Rajkot city police, he noticed a stab wound on the left side of his son's chest. He also found injuries on Dilip's right cheek, right upper arm and near the thumbs of both hands. The family had initially withheld the news of Dilip's death from Somaji, fearing that the news would come as a shock to him. Dilip had retired from the Army in 2022 and was subsequently working as a contractual driver with GMDC.

Police teams traced accused within hours Following the incident, Naroda police formed multiple teams to trace the accused. Investigators analysed CCTV footage from the area and gathered local intelligence as part of the search. Nirmala was arrested within hours of the crime. Police have registered a murder case against her, along with offences under the Gujarat Police Act. The investigation is underway, and the accused is being questioned about the circumstances leading to the stabbing.