Prosecutor: Man Wrapped Rope Around Wife's Neck in Murder Attempt

A Bridgewater man tried to strangle his estranged wife, leaving her unconscious and without a pulse on the garage floor of their Francis Drive townhouse Thursday night before officers arrived and revived the 43-year-old woman, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said.

Timma Kalidindi, 48, was charged with first-degree attempted murder and third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

Bridgewater Police Officers Arthur Akins and Anthony DiGraziano resuscitated Janaki Dantuluru after finding her without a pulse and not breathing on the garage floor with a braided rope wrapped around her neck shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, the prosecutor's office said.

Dantuluru was transported to the hospital where she remains in serious condition, the prosecutor's office said.

Officers responded to the residence after a 911 call from the couple's daughter who was upstairs in the townhouse and heard her parents fighting when her mom returned home, according to MyCentralJersey.com.

According to an arrest affidavit, Kalidindi arrived at the townhouse before his wife and wanted to confront her about their marital issues, MyCentralJersey.com reported.

The officers encountered Kalidindi at the front door, where he voluntarily surrendered, Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said. He was charged and transported to the Somerset County Jail.
 
The Somerset Medical Center Intensive Care Unit and the Bradley Gardens Rescue Squad responded and provided transportation for Dantuluru to the medical center.

Soriano said detectives assigned to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Bridgewater Township Police Department are conducting the investigation. 

Prosecutor Soriano, Acting Chief of County Detective Timothy Fitzgerald and Acting Chief of Police Manny Caravela  ask anyone having information regarding this incident to call the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, Bridgewater Police Department at 908-722-4111, the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-8477, or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime 
Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE." All calls are confidential.