A Turkish man allegedly strangled his wife to death with his bare hands because he was worried she would marry someone else if he ever caught a disease and died.

The incident took place in a flat in the district of Cigli in the western Turkish province of Izmir on 30th March.

On the day of the incident, the parents of Ceyda Onal, 32, who had not heard from their daughter for a while, arrived at her flat around 8pm. When no one opened the door, they called a locksmith.

The parents found their daughter lying still in the bedroom while her husband Serkan Onal, 41, sat in silence on the sofa in the living room.

The emergency services arrived at the scene and confirmed that Ceyda had died.

Local news site Bursadabugun reported that Serkan, who was taken into custody, told the police that he had an argument with his wife at around 5.30pm.

He allegedly told officers that he strangled his wife and mother of two children to death, but refused to give a written statement.

Serkan, who waited near his wife’s dead body for three hours, reportedly told relatives that he was not feeling well lately and was afraid of getting a fatal disease.

Serkan also told relatives that he was worried his wife would marry another man if he died.

Local media have speculated that this is the motive for the killing, but the police have yet to confirm the claim.

Ceyda’s body was buried at the Menemen district cemetery on 31st March.