Wellington, Sep 29 (IANS): A New Zealand court on Tuesday sentenced a 29-year-old Indian-origin man to life in prison for murdering his wife earlier this year.

The Auckland High Court sentenced Mandeep Singh after he pleaded guilty to murdering his wife Parmita Rani, 22, and attempting to murder Parminder Sandhu at AWI International Education Group school in Auckland on May 22, stuff.co.nz reported.

Judge Mark Woolford set the parole period for Singh to a minimum of 13 years, after which he will be deported back to India.

Parmita Rani and Singh had been having marital issues and Singh believed that his wife had formed a friendship with Sandhu.

He attacked Rani after confronting her at the school soon after she finished an exam. When Sandhu tried to intervene, Singh stabbed him from behind, puncturing a lung.

According to the court order, Singh will serve a concurrent sentence of eight and a half years for the attempted murder of Sandhu.

The couple married in 2013 and Singh followed Rani to New Zealand as a dependent.

They were in the process of renewing their visa permits when the murder took place.