A 40-year-old man is being held at the 7th Police Station in Alto da Manga accused of murdering his wife by asphyxiation using a sheet in the Manga-Mascarenhas area, in the city of Beira, Sofala province.

The spokesman for the Republic of Mozambique Police (PRM) in Sofala, Dércio Chacate, said that this was a murder motivated by passion.

According to an indictee quoted by the newspaper NewsThe man, who confessed the crime to the authorities, did not intend to take the woman's life, "but at the time of the fight he couldn't contain his temper, as the woman allegedly said insulting words against him".

The accused also said that the couple's relationship had become unhealthy in recent times and was characterized by frequent disagreements.

According to him, the final straw was his wife telling him that he wasn't the father of their four children.

"There was a mix-up at home with my wife and I ended up losing control. She said in public that I wasn't the children's father. The confusion was right in the house and started in the early hours of the morning. She attacked me, we fought and it ended in this tragedy", he said.

The accused explains that after the act he became frightened and went to the nearest police station, aware of his responsibility for his actions.