Residents of Gangarampur in West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur district were left horrified after a 47-year-old man allegedly beheaded his wife before carrying her severed head to a nearby temple on Wednesday.
In a disturbing scene, the man was reportedly seen sitting calmly inside the temple while holding the bloodied head of his 42-year-old wife, Sima Sarkar.
According to The Indian Express, the incident came to light when a neighbour approached the man, identified as Rintu Ghosh, to check on him, only to discover the victim’s head in his hands.
The neighbour’s screams alerted other residents, who rushed out of their homes to find out what had happened.
Ghosh was subsequently seen leaving the temple with his wife’s head in one hand and a katari, a sharp agricultural tool, in the other.
Police rushed to the scene after receiving information about the incident, cordoned off the area and arrested the suspect.
A search of the couple’s home later uncovered the victim’s headless body, while her severed head was found inside the temple.
The suspect was reportedly heard shouting, “I have gone mad!” as police took him into custody.
Gangarampur police chief Abhishek Gupta said preliminary investigations suggested that Ghosh had killed his wife at their home following a domestic dispute.
“We have arrested the suspect. This is an extremely horrific incident and something that has never happened before,” he said.
The couple have two children, aged five and 12, who were reportedly at home when the incident took place, based on initial information received by police.
Gupta said investigators found no evidence indicating that the suspect was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
The weapon believed to have been used was an agricultural cutting tool. Police are now gathering forensic evidence before submitting the investigation papers for prosecution.
Meanwhile, relatives and neighbours remained shocked by the killing.
They said Ghosh had previously worked as a conductor for a government bus service but was currently unemployed and spent most of his time at home.
The suspect’s relative, Rajesh Pramanik, claimed that Ghosh had displayed changes in behaviour recently, including adopting a strict vegetarian diet and behaving like a tantric practitioner.
Local residents also said the couple were believed to have been experiencing marital problems, although they never expected their disputes to end in such a brutal killing.
