Lucknow: A 60-year-old woman was allegedly hacked to death with an axe in Sujaulia village under the Kamalapur police station area of Sitapur district on Friday morning, police said. The accused, identified as Pradeep alias Samdu, was taken into custody soon after the attack.
The incident occurred around 9 am when the woman, Ramdevi, wife of late Shriram, was reportedly assaulted in broad daylight. Police have not confirmed these claims, and no official medical assessment was cited at the time of reporting.
Police said she suffered severe head injuries and wounds on other parts of her body, and died on the spot. Police said they are recording statements from residents and examining the sequence of events to determine what led to the attack. During her visit, Pradeep, who is also a resident of the same village, allegedly came out of his house and attacked her with an axe. The assault was sudden, leaving the victim with critical injuries before any medical help could be arranged. The killing triggered panic in the village as residents rushed to the spot after learning about the attack. After being informed, Kamalapur station house officer Itul Chaudhary reached the village with a police team and inspected the spot. Villagers claimed the accused had been suffering from mental health issues and had largely remained inside his house for the past few years. The motive behind the killing was not immediately known.
Ramdevi had gone to visit a relative at the house of a man identified as Deepu on Friday morning, according to local information.
The accused was detained, and police began preliminary questioning while securing the area. Circle Officer (Sidhauli) Ved Prakash Srivastava also visited the site to review the situation and monitor the early stages of the investigation.