Ahmedabad: What began as a minor dinner-time argument in Naroda ended in tragedy when a 34-year-old woman allegedly plunged a kitchen knife into her husband’s chest during a heated dispute over the meal prepared at home. The victim, 39-year-old retired Army serviceman and GMDC contractual driver Dilipbhai Kharadi, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, turning a domestic quarrel into a murder case.Police arrested the accused, identified as Nirmala Kharadi, and booked her for murder. The murder has left the couple’s two children without their father, while their mother remains in police custody.According to Naroda PI B M Katariya, Nirmala stabbed Dilip Kharadi on the left side of his chest after a heated argument at their residence in Naroda Smart City-2 around midnight on Thursday. “The couple had reportedly been quarrelling frequently over domestic and financial issues for nearly a year, and the latest dispute allegedly erupted over the dinner prepared that night,” he said.The PI said the accused will now be questioned to determine what led to the fatal quarrel. According to police, the couple had been facing minor domestic disputes for some time. On Thursday, an argument escalated when the wife allegedly responded angrily, leading to a heated exchange in which both parties abused each other. The confrontation eventually culminated in the stabbing, police said.According to the complaint filed by Dilip’s father, 73-year-old Somaji Kharadi, a retired unarmed ASI of Rajkot city police, the couple often argued over household matters, including what food should be cooked. On Thursday night, another disagreement broke out, during which Nirmala allegedly lost her temper, picked up a kitchen knife and attacked her husband.The murder came to light after Nirmala allegedly called her brother-in-law, Mukesh, around midnight and informed him that she had stabbed Dilip in the chest during an argument. She allegedly told him that her husband had become unconscious and that she was taking him to Shalby Hospital.On Friday afternoon, Mukesh informed his father that Dilip had been injured in a quarrel and admitted to hospital. Somaji, accompanied by family members, rushed to the hospital but was informed by doctors that his son had succumbed to his injuries.The complainant stated that he noticed a stab wound on the left side of Dilip’s chest, along with injuries on his right cheek, right upper arm, and near the thumbs of both hands. He also said the family had initially withheld news of the death from him to spare him the shock. Dilip retired from the Army in 2022.Naroda police formed multiple teams and analysed CCTV footage while gathering local intelligence to trace the accused. Nirmala was arrested within hours of the crime. Police registered a case of murder along with offences under the Gujarat Police Act and are continuing their investigation.The PI said that the dispute erupted after the husband asked why she had cooked a particular vegetable and this was countered by the wife, which eventually ended up with both the husband and wife abusing each other. The accused Nirmala has been arrested and is now being questioned as to what the vegetable she cooked was, which led to the dispute.