Kottayam (Kerala) | An elderly man allegedly killed his bedridden wife before attempting to take his own life at Kidangoor here on Saturday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Remani (70) of Manthadi, Kidangoor, who had been bedridden for the past few years due to health issues.

Police have arrested her husband, Soman E R (74), in connection with the incident.

According to police, the couple lived with their two sons.

As per the FIR, Soman allegedly murdered his wife in their bedroom between 9 pm on Friday and 1 am on Saturday, reportedly due to the hardship of caring for her.

After the murder, Soman allegedly attacked his younger son, but the elder son intervened, police said.

The sons later found Remani dead in her bedroom.

A police official said that Soman then moved to another room and attempted suicide by hanging, but both sons managed to rescue him.

Neighbours alerted the police, who reached the house and took Soman into custody.

Kidangoor police registered a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder and arrested the accused.

Remani's body was shifted to a hospital after the inquest. It will be handed over to her relatives after the postmortem, police said.