Surat: A 47-year-old autorickshaw driver was arrested on Sunday from an area falling under the limits of Pandesara police station for murdering his 45-year-old live-in partner. The accused brought the woman’s body to New Civil Hospital (NCH) saying that she had died suddenly. However, postmortem examination revealed the cause of her death to be strangulation.Police arrested Surendra Verma for killing his live-in partner Meena of 10 years. The couple had a two-year-old daughter, sources said, adding that Meena was pregnant. The accused killed the woman when she was sleeping at home in Pandesara Awas on Saturday night. He covered the woman’s face with a bedsheet and then strangulated her.Police questioned the accused after receiving the postmortem report and he reportedly confessed to the crime.Police investigation revealed Verma and Meena worked together in a textile unit 10 years ago. Meena’s husband had left home and so she entered into a relationship with Verma who was already married then. The two started to live together.However, Verma got romantically involved with another woman three years ago. There was regular fights between Meena and Verma over this. Finally, Verma decided to get rid of Meena and so he killed her when she was sleeping, police said.“The accused first informed Meena’s daughter from earlier marriage about her death,” a police officer said.

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