The police on Sunday (June 21, 2026) arrested a Bihar native on the charge of murdering his wife and dumping her body in an unused well near Annur in Coimbatore district over a week ago.

Chhotalal Mandal (30) who had been working as a mason in Tamil Nadu, was arrested for murdering his wife Sangeetha Devi (27).

Devi’s body was found in an unused well on the compound of a defunct factory at Gobirasipalayam near Annur on June 17.  The police recovered the body, which was stuffed inside a plastic sack, and later identified the deceased. Three special teams of police were formed and the investigators found out that Mandal was at large.

According to the police, Devi was residing in Bihar while Mandal worked in Tamil Nadu. She allegedly left their three children with parents and lived with two different men, one after the other, over a period of about two years. She returned to her parents after the two men allegedly left her.

Mandal, who had also been arranging masons from Bihar for works in different parts of Tamil Nadu, brought Devi to Tiruchi about two months ago. After frequent quarrels with his wife over her relationship with other men, Mandal planned to murder her, said a police officer.

He brought Devi to Gobirasipalayam on June 11 where workers arranged by him were engaged in renovation works of the defunct factory, which three Tiruppur-based persons were converting into an auditorium. Mandal, who was aware of the unused well on the factory premises, strangled his wife to death and absconded after dumping the body into the well, said the police.

S. Basker, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mettupalayam Sub-Division, said Mandal was arrested near Mettupalayam, when he came to collect his belongings.