Navi Mumbai: A 35-year-old man was arrested for murdering his wife on Monday by setting her on fire, after suspecting that she had been unfaithful to him. The Uran police said that the victim’s seven-year-old daughter’s eye-witness account was crucial in solving the case.

The police identified the accused as, Rajkumar Ramshiromani Sahu, a driver from Pagote village in Madhya Pradesh, and his wife as Jagrani Sahu, 32, a homemaker. Initially, the police suspected a suicide and registered an accidental death, but investigations revealed that the door of the house was open. “In cases of suicide, victims usually lock themselves inside. CCTV footage from the area further showed the husband leaving the house along with the child at the same time as the incident,” said senior inspector Hanif Mulani of Uran police.

When the victim’s husband and daughter were questioned, she revealed that the accused had tied his wife’s hands and legs, doused her with kerosene, and then set her ablaze using a lighter. Investigations revealed that Sahu, an alcohol and gambling addict, suspected his wife of having an extra marital affair. The police later found kerosene and a lighter at the scene.

“The child was initially threatened by the father not to divulge the details, but we managed to gain her trust and got her to reveal the events that led to her mothers death,” said the police.

She has been placed under the care of the Child Welfare Committee. According to the police, the couple also had a 10-year-old son who lives with his grandparents in Madhya Pradesh.

Based on the evidence, the case was converted into murder and an FIR was registered under section 103(murder) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Sahu was arrested in the early hours of August 26 and produced before court the same day. He has been remanded to police custody till September 2.