In a fit of rage, a man allegedly stabbed his wife to death and then tried to commit suicide in Nidhan Singh Nagar in the Civil City area under Haibowal police station on late Saturday evening. The man has been admitted to the DMC Hospital in a critical condition.

Deceased woman Santosh Kumari (47) was allegedly killed by her husband Surinder Pal (50), a halwai owing to some dispute.

Surinder Pal, who allegedly tried to commit suicide by slitting his throat with the same knife used to kill his wife, was operated upon late last night but his condition is still stated to be serious.

According to police sources, the incident came to light on late Saturday evening when Pooja, the eldest daughter of the couple, returned home. When she knocked the door, her father, who was profusely bleeding from the neck opened the door. She then found her mother in a pool of blood on the bed. Pooja raised the alarm and the couple was rushed to the DMC hospital but the doctors declared Santosh Kumari dead on arrival.

Sources said as the economic condition of the family was not very good, Surinder Pal wanted to sell his house but his wife Santosh had reservations on the matter and it had led to repeated heated arguments between the couple in the recent past. Sources said that on Saturday morning too, a heated argument broke between the husband and wife. Sources suspect that when no one was in the house, the couple might have quarrelled again.