Bihar News: Man Beheads Sister-in-Law In Jehanabad Over Food Delay

A 25-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her brother-in-law after he attacked her with an axe over a delay in serving food, in Imadpur village under the Pars Bigha police station area of Bihar's Jehanabad district.

The deceased has been identified as Anshu Devi, wife of Dharmendra Kumar. Police have arrested the accused, her younger brother-in-law Kunal Kumar, and seized the weapon allegedly used in the crime.

According to villagers, Anshu Devi was alone at home at the time of the incident, while other family members had gone to the fields for paddy transplantation work. Police said Kunal Kumar returned home and asked for food. When it was not served immediately, an altercation is said to have broken out, following which he allegedly picked up an axe and attacked Anshu Devi, slitting her throat.

The accused did not flee the spot after the crime and reportedly remained seated near the house. He is also said to have hung the victim's severed head from a tree outside the house.

The gruesome killing came to light after villagers noticed the severed head and gathered at the scene in large numbers. They alerted the police, following which a team from the Pars Bigha police station reached the village. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination.

Villagers told police that the accused is a drug addict, though officers said the exact motive behind the killing was yet to be established. Locals said the family lived in the same household and no prior dispute had been reported earlier.

Pars Bigha Station House Officer Sarv Narayan said preliminary investigation suggested the incident followed a dispute over food.

"The motive is not yet clear. Prima facie, it appears that the accused attacked his sister-in-law following a dispute after food was served late," the officer said.

Police are currently interrogating the accused, and further detailed investigation into the case is underway. The weapon used in the crime, an axe, has been seized as evidence. Officials said the case will be probed further to ascertain whether the accused's alleged substance abuse played any direct role in the attack.

Inputs from NDTV