Jharkhand man kills wife at in-laws' house in Giridih, lynched to death by villagers

GIRIDIH (JHARKHAND) — A horrific double murder took place in Lukaiya village under the Mufassil police station area of Jharkhand's Giridih district late on Wednesday night, triggering shock and anger in the locality, police officials said on Thursday.

According to police, a man stabbed his wife to death at her maternal home and was later beaten to death by her relatives and enraged villagers while he was attempting to flee.

The woman, identified as Meena Hansda, had been married to Chhotelal Hansda for the past eight years. However, relations between the couple had soured over time, prompting Meena to leave her husband’s home and return to her parental village.

Police said efforts were recently underway to reconcile the couple. A few days ago, Chhotelal visited his in-laws' house in Lukaiya village. On Wednesday night, a heated argument broke out between the two. In a fit of rage, Chhotelal pulled out a knife and stabbed Meena multiple times, killing her on the spot.

As Chhotelal attempted to escape after the killing, word of the incident spread quickly. Villagers and members of Meena’s family caught hold of him and thrashed him mercilessly. He sustained critical injuries and died on the spot.

The police, led by Sadar SDPO Jeetwahan Oraon and Mufassil police station in-charge Shyam Kishore Mahato, reached the scene shortly after getting information.

 “Chhotelal Hansda, who was trying to flee after murdering his wife, was caught and beaten to death by villagers. We are registering two separate FIRs in connection with the incident -- one for the murder of Meena Hansda and the other for the lynching of Chhotelal Hansda,” SDPO Oraon said.

He added that legal proceedings have been initiated against those involved in the assault and killing of Chhotelal.

The bodies of both the deceased have been sent for post-mortem. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and mourning in the village.