Man keeps wife's severed head under bed

New Delhi - Locals got suspicious and informed the police

A 40-year-old man allegedly beat his first wife to death and then hacked her body into two parts with a saw to dispose of it in Delhi's Madhu Vihar area.
The accused Subodh, who worked as a plumber, has been arrested. He told police that he suspected his first wife Manisha, 35, of having an illicit relationship and he thrashed her on the intervening night of February 10 and 11 so that she would confess to the alleged infidelity, said a senior police officer.
The accused beheaded his first wife and kept her head in a bag in the bed-box. He had plans to cut the remaining body into pieces to dispose of it but he was arrested on Wednesday.

He beat his first wife to death in front of his second wife Muniya, and his three children, including Muniya's two-month-old baby.
The officer said that Subodh's family members said that he kept thrashing Manisha with lathis between February 10 and 11.

When Muniya and the children tried to intervene, he even threatened them.
Manisha lived with her two children in Shakurpur area while Subodh lived with Muniya and their only child in Madhu Vihar.
The accused allegedly called Manisha to his house on February 10 to talk to her.

"Even though he is claiming that he thrashed Manisha in a fit of rage, we suspect that he had planned to kill her in advance and that's why he called her to his house in Madhu Vihar," said the officer.

He kept thrashing her despite pleas from Muniya and his children. She lost consciousness and even had fever due to the extreme torture, following which he called a quack to treat her.

Later, he thrashed her again and it is suspected that she succumbed to her injuries on the afternoon of February 11. It is alleged that he thrashed Muniya as well.

"He was wary of taking the body outside. He first beheaded her using the saw that he used for his plumbing job. He had plans to chop the remaining body in pieces," said the officer.

However, after an odour started emanating from the body, locals got suspicious and informed the police and Manisha's brutal murder was discovered.

Further investigation is underway, he added.

• India