"My father killed her... by knife," testifies four year old son who witnessed mother's murder

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

The dentist, Umesh Bobale, was found guilty of brutally stabbing his 36-year-old accountant wife, Tanuja Bobale, in 2016, leaving her with 37 injuries. The tragic incident unfolded on December 11, 2016, and Umesh Bobale surrendered to the police after committing the heinous act. In the trial court, the young child, now in class 2, bravely answered 54 questions posed by the prosecution and the defense.

He fearlessly identified his father as the perpetrator, stating, «My father killed her… by knife.» Despite witnessing the horrific murder, the son said that he did not scream during the act but felt palpitations in his heart. During the murder trial, it was revealed that the accused had a history of suspecting his wife's character due to her late work hours. He even conducted a DNA test to question the child's paternity, but the test results disproved his doubts.

The special public prosecutor, R V Kini, presented ten witnesses, including the child, the victim's brother, the maternal aunt of the accused, and the building watchman. Their testimonies helped strengthen the case against Umesh Bobale. The defense attempted to claim that the accused suffered from mental health issues, leading to the violent act.

However, the court rejected this defense and found the accused fully aware of his actions at the time of the crime. Pronouncing the verdict, Judge P P Bankar convicted Umesh Bobale of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and imposing a life sentence along with a fine of Rs 20,000. Tanuja Bobale, who had previously filed a domestic violence complaint against her husband, had separated from him and sought refuge with his maternal aunt.