Pune hospital employee kills wife by administering lethal drugs; held

A 23-year-old male nurse at a hospital in Maharashtra's Pune district allegedly killed his wife by administering her lethal injections and tried to pass it off as a suicide, police said.

The accused, Swapnil Sawant, wanted to eliminate his wife as he was having an affair with a nurse who was his colleague at the private hospital and planning to marry her, an official from Paud police station on Wednesday said, adding that the man has been arrested.

Sawant married the victim, Priyanka Kshetre, five months ago and the couple lived in a rented house in Kasar Amboli village in Mulshi tehsil, the official said.

On November 14, Sawant took his wife to a hospital in a serious condition and she was declared dead by doctors, he said.

"A purported suicide note signed by Priyanka was found, and a case of domestic violence and abetment of suicide was registered against Sawant," said inspector Manoj Yadav.

But during investigation, it came to light that Sawant had stolen some drugs and injections including Vecuronium Bromide, Nitroglycerin injections and Lox 2% from the hospital where he worked, and allegedly killed his wife by administering them to her, he said.

"We have registered a case against him under relevant provisions and further probe into the case is on," Yadav said.