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American-Indian love story ends in death in Agra

Police said the couple were having problems and even met with a marriage counsellorto resolve their differences.

An Indian man fatally stabbed his American wife before killing himself in Agra, the city that is home to the Taj Mahal and where the couple married in October, police said Saturday.

Erin W. Willinger’s body was found with multiple stab wounds late Thursday night in a deserted part of the city, said Agra police chief Shalabh Mathur. Her husband Bunty Sharma committed suicide by igniting cooking gas and causing a massive explosion in his home, Mathur said.

Willinger and Sharma met last year when she visited the Taj Mahal with friends. She and Sharma fell in love and got married in October, police said.

Willinger, 35, adopted an Indian name, Kiran Sharma, and began working with a local nongovernmental organisation to promote tourism in Agra. Sharma, 32, was a rickshaw cab driver in Agra city.

But police say they separated soon after because of differences.

“Both of them tried to resolve their differences and even met with a marriage counsellor,” Mathur said.

On Thursday night, Sharma took Arianne out in his vehicle, and on reaching a secluded place stabbed and killed her and dumped the body on the side of the road, Mathur said.

Willinger’s hometown in the United States was not immediately available.