A man allegedly beheaded his 45-year-old wife to 'please' the 'kuldevi' (clan-deity) in the remote and tribal dominated Sonebhadra district in Uttar Pradesh.
Though the shocking incident happened at Basauda village in the district on Wednesday, it came to light on Thursday, when the son of the accused informed the locals about the same.
According to the police sources, the man, identified as Brijesh Kewat, who was allegedly under the influence of some exorcists, beheaded his wife with an axe.
Police said that Brijesh offered the severed head to his 'kuldevi' at the temple near his house and buried the rest of the body in his room.
Brijesh's two sons, aged around eight and ten years, fled from the house after they went into the room of their father on hearing their mother's cries and saw him attacking her with the axe.
The two children hid in a nearby sugar cane field and spent the night there. They informed the locals about the incident on Thursday morning.
The cops, who launched a hunt immediately, managed to nab the culprit from a house at another village. ''He has confessed to killing his wife,'' said a police official in Sonebhadra.