Bengaluru: A 51-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and attempting to cover it up by making it look like a natural death on the outskirts of the city, police said on Thursday.

He was caught minutes before her cremation after police received an anonymous call raising suspicion about the cause of death, they said.

The incident took place in the jurisdiction of the Doddaballapura Rural Police Station on February 23, police added.

Lakshmaiah, a resident of Neraleghatta in Bengaluru Rural district, came home under the influence of alcohol and got into an argument with his 45-year-old wife, Radhamma, according to police.

He allegedly grabbed her by the hair, smashed her head against the wall, and repeatedly assaulted her with an electric heating coil, causing her to lose consciousness, a senior police officer said.

The next day, he informed her family and relatives that she had accidentally fallen and died. When they arrived for the last rites, police also reached the spot before the cremation after receiving an anonymous call raising suspicion about the cause of death, he added.

The cremation was halted, and her body was sent for a post-mortem. The autopsy report confirmed that she had been murdered, he said.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Lakshmaiah frequently assaulted his wife while intoxicated, police said.

“A case of murder has been registered, and Lakshmaiah has been arrested in connection with the incident,” the officer stated, adding that further investigation is underway.