The policemen at Saptashrungi Gad where the young woman was allegedly pushed by her husband.

NASHIK: A man allegedly pushed his 20-year-old wife into an 800-foot-deep valley following an argument at a peak near pilgrimage site Saptashrungi Gad in Kalwan taluka, 60km from here, on Monday morning.

The man, Babulal Lakhan Kale (22), a resident of Muradpur in Madhya Pradesh , was nabbed by other devotees while he was trying to escape.

The police said Kale and his wife, Kavita, arrived in Kalwan on Sunday. They stayed in a hotel and checked out at around 8.30am on Monday. They first took darshan of goddess Saptashrungi at the temple after which they went to the nearby Sheetkada peak. There, after an argument, Kale allegedly pushed Kavita into the valley around 11am.

Superintendent of police ( Nashik rural) Arti Singh said a fruit merchant, who was standing close by, saw Kale pushing his wife into the valley. He raised an alarm which brought other devotees to the spot. They nabbed Kale and handed him over to the police.

Singh said Kale's sister is married to Kavita's brother. "Kale's sister has regular altercations with her husband. She has often come to stay at Kale's residence after these fights. However, Kavita used to object to her sister-in-law's frequent visits to their place," she said.

Local residents, who helped the Kalwan police recover Kavita's mutilated body from the valley, said the couple had purchased puja items and had also clicked photographs of themselves before the incident.

