Kannur: A 40-year-old man severed the head of his wife with a knife inside their house at Alapadamb near Payyannur in Kannur on Wednesday.
The deceased was P K Prasanna, 38, of Bammaradi Colony near Alapadamb. Her husband, Shaji, a construction worker, is in police custody.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 1.30 pm. Neighbours, who rushed to the house after hearing Prasanna's screams, reportedly saw her lying in a pool of blood with her head severed. Shaji, who managed to escape on his bike after the murder, surrendered at the Payyannur Police Station in the evening.
The couple had been living separately for a year due to family issues. Prasanna lived with her parents at their house at Kattilapeedika in Kannur.
The police said Prasanna had reached Shaji's house on Wednesday as she had a wedding to attend in the locality.
A forensics team examined the crime scene. The body was shifted to Government Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram for postmortem. The couple had three children -- Janasha, Parthiv Siva and Sivadarshini.