A 36-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district for allegedly strangling his married lover and her two minor children with a belt, according to news agency PTI.

The suspect, identified as Parmod Giddhi, was admitted to hospital after claiming he had consumed poison before his apprehension in Ranchi, the capital of neighbouring Jharkhand.

Preliminary investigations suggest that Giddhi was in a live-in relationship with the victim, Subhadra Thakur, who was estranged from her husband. He is accused of murdering her due to a suspicion that she was unfaithful to him, Jashpur Senior Superintendent of Police Sashimohan Singh told PTI.