Patna: A 38-year-old woman was allegedly beheaded by her husband following a domestic dispute at their home in Darbhanga’s Jetuka village on Wednesday night. The accused fled after the murder, while the victim’s head was found placed on her lap, police said.The deceased was identified as Pramila Devi, wife of Ramsufal Chaudhary (45). The crime came to light on Thursday morning when the couple’s younger son, Golu Kumar, found his mother’s body inside the house and alerted villagers and relatives.According to Golu, he was sleeping in another room when he heard his parents arguing late at night. He told police that the room was locked from the outside and that his father later asked him to return to sleep, assuring him that the door would be opened in the morning.When the door was opened on Thursday, Golu found his mother’s blood-soaked body. Her head had been severed and placed on her lap. He searched for his father but found the house deserted. Villagers subsequently informed the police.The body was sent to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for post-mortem.Police said villagers claimed Ramsufal had been under a debt burden of around Rs 2 lakh and had been facing financial stress for the past two years. He allegedly relied on loans from locals to support the family. A few days ago, Pramila’s brother had given him Rs 50,000 to repay part of the debt. Pramila had also taken a loan of Rs 50,000 from a self-help group four months ago.Investigators said frequent quarrels over financial issues were common between the couple. The family lived with their younger son in a house near a pond, away from the main village, which may explain why no one heard anything during the night.Bajitpur SHO Mukesh Kumar said police recovered a blood-stained sickle, an axe and a white shirt from the crime spot. A dog squad, forensic science laboratory (FSL) team and technical experts were called in to collect evidence.Based on the son’s statement, police have registered a case and launched raids to arrest the absconding accused, the SHO said.
