New Delhi: Delhi Police yesterday said they have detained for questioning the lover of the woman who was murdered along with her five-year-old son by her partially paralysed husband.

The identity of the man, in his 30s, has not been disclosed.

During questioning, the man revealed he had not married Sweta, as was earlier claimed by the woman's husband Nitin Maini.

"He and Sweta loved each other and they wanted to marry. Regarding this, he met Sweta's mother a few days ago," Assistant Commissioner of Police Jasmit Singh said.

"Nitin Maini had told police in his statement on Friday that he killed his wife as she had an illicit relationship with the man and married him on January 4," he added.

Nitin Maini, paralysed from the waist down, called police around 2am on Thursday claiming he had murdered his wife Sweta, 25, and son Garva at his house in west Delhi's Rohini area.

Smothered with pillow

After his arrest, Maini told the police he strangled Sweta and then smothered his son with a pillow.

He killed his son because he could not take proper care of him, Maini said in his statement. Maini, who worked as an interior designer, had met with an accident three years ago and was left paralysed from the waist down.

Nitin and Sweta celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on Thursday.

Maini said he learnt about Sweta's affair when he overheard a phone call she received from her lover.

Maini lived with his parents and two brothers, Shivam and Rohit.

"Maini's family members told police that they came to know about the double murder when police reached their house," a police officer said.

His family members also alleged that Sweta's father was forcing her to remarry after Maini's accident.

Neighbours told police that Maini's family members wanted Sweta to marry his younger brother.

However, Sweta's father Dinesh Verma said Maini was due to receive Rs2.1 million (Dh158,696) from an insurance company after his paralysis and his wife and son were the nominees of the insurance claim.

"This is the main reason for the murder of my daughter and my grandson. The whole family planned to kill her," alleged Verma.