In a horrific case of alleged honour killing in Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh, a 21-year-old man beheaded his his brother-in-law on Thursday and carried the severed head to the police station where he surrendered himself.
The incident turned into a double tragedy as the wife of the victim, who is the sister of the accused, was found hanging at home. Police claimed that prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide. However, further probe is on as locals expressed apprehensions of foul play in her death, sources said.
City superintendent of police (CSP) of Bargi in Jabalpur, Ravi Chouhan, while speaking to THE WEEK said it was not a case of honour killing but murder in a fit of rage. The CSP said the victim, Brijesh alias Vijet Burman, around 30 years of age, had eloped with Puja, 20, sister of the accused, Dheeraj alias Montu Shukla, about two months ago. The couple had got married.
This enraged Dheeraj, and when the couple returned to the village, Ramnagra under Tilwara police station, he started to look for an opportunity to kill Brijesh. On Thursday morning, Dheeraj spotted Brijesh in an agriculture field where the latter had gone to attend nature’s call and beheaded him with an axe. He also severed the victim’s hands, the CSP said.
Dheeraj then put the severed head of Brijesh in a sack and carried it to the Tilwara police station, where he surrendered and later led the police party to the scene of the crime. Dheeraj’s act of walking in to the police station carrying the sack containing Brijesh’s head was caught on a CCTV camera.
Meanwhile, upon learning about the death of her husband, Puja reportedly hanged herself at her home, the CSP said, adding that probe was on.
While sources said Dheeraj and Brijesh were friends and partners in liquor trade before the latter eloped with Puja, the CSP said there is no information on friendship between the two and they were residents of the same settlement. Sources said the accused and the victim belonged to different castes and this might have been the possible reason for Dheeraj’s anger.
This incident comes close on the heels of another horrific crime in state capital Bhopal on Tuesday, where a man under influence of liquor, chopped off the left hand and foot of his wife as he suspected her character. He then tried to attack the cops who went out to the crime scene. A video showing the man smoking a cigarette in his balcony and admitting to his crime while asking the police to call for an ambulance for his wife had gone viral on the social media.
