A spine-chilling murder incident sent ripples across the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh recently, where a married woman, the mother to nine children, allegedly axed her husband to death at their home, while the latter was fast asleep, police reported on Wednesday. As per police, the woman committed the crime after facing prolonged marital discord and on suspicion that her husband was involved in an extra-marital relationship, and allegedly planned to abandon his family. 

The police have identified the accused as Rumli Bai Dudwe (35), has been remanded to judicial custody by a local court following her arrest. Meanwhile, the victim has been identified as Ida Dudwe (45). 

Victim’s brother approaches cops

According to police, the incident took place in Bazar Khodra Chidiya village under the jurisdiction of Chainpur police station on the intervening night of July 9 and 10, 2026. Khargone’s Assistant Superintendent of Police (City) Bittu Sehgal said the victim’s brother approached the cops on July 10. He alleged an unidentified person had murdered Ida Dudwe. On the basis of his complaint, police registered a murder case and launched a probe. 

Initially, the investigating police personnel said the crime had been committed by an outsider, as Rumli Bai also claimed that an unidentified assailant had attacked her husband. 

Probe blows the lid off family dispute

As the probe advanced, the cops unearthed evidence of recurring disputes between the couple. Police came to know that the husband and wife often argued over domestic issues, particularly over the man’s alleged relationship with another woman.

According to the ASP, inconsistencies in Rumli’s statements, coupled with the circumstances surrounding the crime, raised the cops’ suspicions. During sustained interrogation, she allegedly confessed to killing her husband. 

Police said the accused told the cops that she suspected her husband was having an extra-marital affair and feared he would desert her and their nine children to marry another woman. 

Husband killed during sleep

The police revealed that Rumli allegedly attacked her husband with an axe while he was asleep at their house. The cops said the murder was the culmination of long-standing domestic disputes and her fear of being abandoned. 

After the incident, she allegedly tried to mislead the police by maintaining that an unidentified person had executed the murder. However, during police interrogation, she admitted to concealing the truth, fearing that her in-laws would kill her if they found out that she was responsible for her husband’s death. 

Couple has 6 daughters, 3 sons

According to police, the couple has nine children; three sons and six daughters, aged between 2-and-a-half and 16 years. Post-confession, Rumli Bai was arrested and was produced before a local court, which remanded her to judicial custody. 

Police said they are probing the case threadbare.