The husband, identified as U.C, 43, committed the gruesome act after a heated argument.

An Indian man stabbed his wife to death in Dubai's Al Quoz on Monday, Khaleej Times has learnt. The woman, identified as C. Vidhya Chandran, 39, hailed from Kollam district in Kerala. Their daughters aged 16 and 5 live in Kerala, family sources said.

The husband, identified as U.C, 43, committed the gruesome act after a heated argument. The victim's brother, Vinayachandran, told Khaleej Times over the phone from Kerala that his sister was supposed to be home on Tuesday to celebrate the harvest festival, Onam. "I had spoken to her just two days ago and she sounded excited about coming home for Onam and seeing her children. I still cannot believe she is no more."

He said their aged parents are "devastated" after hearing the news. "How can we console them? They are asking many questions about her for which I don't have any answers."

Vinayachandran said they came to know about the tragedy through a colleague of Vidhya. "I was told that he (husband) stabbed her in a car park in Al Quoz and that he is in police custody now. We don't know what happened exactly."

According to Vinayachandran, his sister, who got married almost 16 years ago, was in an "abusive relationship". "The man has been abusing my sister for a long time. Last year, she even filed a police complaint against him for domestic abuse. They appeared for counselling and things got a little better."

He said the couple moved to Dubai one-and-a-half years ago. "He had taken a huge loan and they were under financial pressure. That is why Vidhya left her job in Thiruvanathapuram and joined her husband in Dubai."

She was working in the finance department of a private firm in Al Quoz. "We knew she was going through a difficult time. We decided to keep the children with us because of his abuse. But we did not expect that he would kill her," he said. "We don't know when we will be able to get the body. We are awaiting for more information."

anjana@khaleejtimes.com