Man beheaded, wife stabbed to death over N72 naira debt
The couple had simply asked for more time to pay for three packets of biscuits which cost 15 rupees, the equivalent of N72.
Shopowner Ashok Mishra would have none of it. He reportedly flew into a rage, got an axe and attacked the couple, police in India said.
The victims, named as Bharat, 45, and his wife Mamta, 41, were killed in the Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning.
Witnesses said the couple told the shopowner they would pay their debt from the wages they would earn that day.
“While Mishra kept shouting for the money, the couple started walking towards the fields,” a villager said.
“Mishra then ran to his house nearby and returned with an axe.
“He hacked Bharat repeatedly and then attacked Mamta who was trying to rescue her husband.
“The couple died on the spot.”
The killing sparked protests, with people gathering outside the shopkeeper’s home and threatening to lynch him.
“Police surrounded the house and brought out the accused by breaking down the doors while the (district magistrate) pacified the mob and assured them of action,” a police spokesman said.
“‘The villagers also blocked the road demanding that the police hand over the accused to them,” he added..
