Kolkata: A man was arrested on Wednesday after murdering his wife and emerging from a temple near his house carrying her severed head, triggering panic among residents of the Narayanpur area in West Bengal’s Gangarampur town, police officials said.
The accused, identified as Rintu Ghosh, was seen sitting inside the temple with his wife’s severed head, neighbours said. He later walked out holding the head in one hand and a knife in the other, prompting people gathered outside to move away in fear.
The police said Ghosh had been arrested and was being questioned. The severed head and torso of his wife, identified as Seema Sarkar, were recovered. The motive behind the alleged murder was yet to be established.
According to residents, Ghosh had earlier worked as a conductor with a government bus service. He had either left the job or stopped working there several days ago and had since been staying at home.
A neighbour told local media that the temple in the locality remains open. Residents noticed Ghosh sitting inside it in the morning.
“On hearing his screams, other neighbours came out of their houses. They were shocked to find Rintu inside the temple. When people began gathering outside, he came out holding the severed head of his wife. Everyone moved back in fear,” the neighbour said.
Residents alerted the police, and a team from Gangarampur police station reached the spot and took Ghosh into custody. Some neighbours suspected that a marital dispute may have led to the incident, though police have not confirmed any such motive.
A relative, Rajesh Pramanik, said the Ghosh-Seema couple has two sons. “I woke up and heard that he was sitting in the temple. Later, I heard that he had killed his wife and was sitting there with her head in his hand. I do not know what to say,” he told local media.
Pramanik said Ghosh had earlier taken up small business activities after leaving his job, but he was unaware whether he continued with them. He also claimed that Ghosh would sometimes eat vegetarian food and behave like a tantric.
“He used to eat vegetarian food for some days. He used to act like a tantric. No one can figure out exactly why he did this,” Pramanik said.
The police are questioning the accused to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the killing. Police are still questioning him to establish the motive for the killing.
(IANS)
