He marched around the village, a severed head in hand. Shocked villagers watched him, horror writ large on their faces.
Kalam Patel (28) of Padali village of Satara district allegedly killed his cousin, Sikander Patel (36), by clobbering him with a steel rod on Saturday night and then severing his head. Satara is about 290 km from Mumbai.
After wandering around for nearly half an hour, Kalam threw Sikander’s head and body into a nearby drain.
The duo was involved in a land dispute since a decade, officials of the Karad taluka police station said, adding that Kalam hacked Sikander without any immediate provocation. He later hid in a nearby mosque.
Locals said that about 50 people, who were busy attending prayers at the mosque, witnessed Kalam’s gruesome act.
A relative of Sikander, who was part of the congregation, lodged a police complaint.
“Based on the complaint of the relative, who is also an eyewitness, we have arrested Kalam,” said Assistant Police Inspector M.P. Dhere. “It is possible that more people are involved.”
The police said they were also investigating if the alleged murder could be a fallout of superstitious beliefs.
The police said Kalam had been under the impression that his wife had returned to her parents’ home soon after their marriage as Sikander had performed black magic to cast a spell on her.
{{/usCountry}}The police said Kalam had been under the impression that his wife had returned to her parents’ home soon after their marriage as Sikander had performed black magic to cast a spell on her.
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