Lucknow, Dec 20 (IANS): A physiotherapist, who stabbed his wife 18 times and fled the scene about a fortnight ago, has finally been arrested, police said.

The accused identified as Anandeshwar Agrahari was arrested near Krishna Nagar area of Lucknow.

Rahul Raj, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), said that with the arrest of the 38-year-old man and a father of two, Lucknow police had solved the brutal killing of the woman in which a case was registered under IPC 302 (murder) on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Aman Sahu, at the Thakurganj police station.

“The knife used in the crime has also been recovered,” said the DCP.

“The man gave his wife’s affair as one of the reasons for their regular arguments and fights. They also had frequent disputes over money-related problems,” the DCP said adding that the man is an alcoholic and addicted to betting.

While giving the sequence of events during the police interrogation, the man said that he and his wife used to get into arguments over multiple issues, including an extramarital affair and dispute over money.

“The argument took a violent turn on December 4, and he first cuffed his wife's hands and legs then stabbed her 18 times using a kitchen knife,” said the police officer.

The man further told the police that he chose the perfect time to kill her -- when his elder son, Tanishq, who is differently abled and cannot speak, was sleeping. In his sleep, he could not hear his mother’s screams.

His younger son, Shaurya, 9, was in school. When he went to get Shaurya from school, he fed him sedatives on the way home.

Shaurya fell asleep as soon as he reached home. Later, Anand fled from the scene.

The victim, Sandhya Sahu, was discovered murdered with multiple stab wounds on December 5 in Lucknow’s Roshan Nagar area.

The incident came to light when the victim’s mother, Kamla, visited the residence and discovered Sandhya’s body.

Anand and Sandhya, who had a love marriage 15 years ago, were residing in Roshan Nagar with their sons Tanishq and Shaurya.