London (PTI): A 57-year-old Indian-origin man appeared in a UK court on Wednesday charged with the murder of a woman at a home in Ilford, east London.

Dalip Chadha was arrested at the scene at Applegarth Drive in Ilford in the early hours of Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said. The victim, believed to be his wife, is yet to be formally identified.

“At around 04:00hrs on Tuesday, 27 January, officers were called to an address in Applegarth Drive. Upon arrival, they found a woman dead at the property,” the Met Police said in a statement.

“Formal identification has yet to take place, but the victim is believed to be 58-year-old Vanessa Puntney-Chadha. Her next-of-kin have been informed, and are being supported by specially trained officers.

“Dalip Chadha, 57, of Applegarth Drive, was arrested at the scene. He will appear before Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 28 January, charged with murder,” the police said.

The force said its investigation remains ongoing and has appealed for any information that would assist their enquiries in the murder case.

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Pathanamthitta(Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court on Wednesday granted bail to expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil in the third sexual assault case against him, in which he was arrested earlier this month.

The bail was granted by the Pathanamthitta District Sessions Court, which was considering an appeal filed by the MLA against a judicial magistrate's court that had denied him relief, stating that the allegations against him were serious and that he had "similar antecedents".

The third sexual assault case was registered against the Palakkad MLA under Sections 376 (rape) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), following a complaint lodged by a woman from Kottayam district on 8 January. He was arrested in the case on January 11 in Palakkad.

The Kerala High Court and a sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram had earlier protected the MLA from arrest in the first two sexual assault cases, which were registered based on complaints from two different women.