BARIPADA: A tribal man allegedly beat his wife to death after a fight over drinking ‘handia’ (rice beer) in Mayurbhanj district on Friday night.
Police on Saturday arrested the accused, Guru Prasad Singh (52), on the charge of murdering his wife Sita Singh (45). The incident took place in Uparataldiha village under Udala police limits at around 11 pm.
Sources said Guru returned home from the local market in the night and asked his wife to bring handia for him. However, Sita informed him that she had already consumed all the handia kept in the house in the evening.
The accused flew into rage on hearing the reply and finding Sita in an inebriated state. He grabbed a wood plank lying in front of the house and allegedly assaulted her mercilessly. When his two children came to the rescue of their mother, Guru brought out an axe and reportedly tried to attack them.
To save themselves, the two minors ran away from the spot and went to their neighbour’s house seeking help. Immediately, villagers rushed to Guru’s house and found Sita lying dead in a pool of blood. On seeing the crowd, the accused fled to the nearby forest.
On being informed, police rushed to the village and seized the body. They also managed to nab Guru, who was hiding in the forest, with the help of villagers.
Udala IIC Banamali Barik said police registered a murder case and sent the deceased’s body to the hospital for postmortem. The wooden plank used in the crime was also seized. The accused was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody after his bail was rejected. Further investigation is underway, he added.