Chhattisgarh man murders pregnant wife by inserting hacksaw blade into her private part; arrested

In a stunning case of brutality, a man allegedly killed his 23-year-old pregnant wife in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district by inserting a hacksaw blade into her private part amid a severe thrashing, police and health officials said on Sunday.

The incident took place in Bhitthikala village under Manipur police station limits on May 14, they added.

Accused Pradeep Agariya was held on Sunday from Ambikapur and has confessed to the crime, a police official said.

"As per preliminary information, Agariya and Heerabai got married around five years ago. The accused frequently assaulted his wife while under the influence of alcohol. On May 14, he thrashed Heerabai and inserted a hacksaw blade into her private part. The brutality happened when the couple's four-year-old daughter was at home," he said.

After she fell unconscious due to the pain, he tied her on a motorcycle and took her to the Ambikapur Medical College Hospital, where he told doctors she had suffered injuries in a road accident, the official said.

"She was declared dead after an examination. On realising that Heerabai had died, Agariya fled. The body was kept in the mortuary due to a lack of kin for completion of formalities. A post mortem was conducted the next morning when her relatives arrived, and Agariya was booked based on its report," the official informed.

Dr Santu Bag, an autopsy surgeon in the forensic medicine department at Ambikapur Medical College, said the victim was three months pregnant and bore around 17 serious external injuries on her body.

"A nearly 10-inch-long iron rod object was recovered from her private part and handed over to police for forensic examination," Bag said.