UP man beheads woman over marriage pressure

A man was arrested for allegedly beheading his girlfriend after she asked him to marry her, police said on Sunday.

"The case began after police found a headless body of a woman near Jagannathpur village on Friday. On Saturday, she was identified as a 26-year-old woman, who was living with her parents after marriage," Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Durga Prasad Tiwari said.

Investigations led to the arrest of Asif Raza alias Faizan (24), her lover and a local motorcycle mechanic, the police said. During interrogation Faizan confessed that he killed his girlfriend because she kept pressuring him to marry her, Tiwari said.

According to the officer, the accused watched Telugu movie 'Salaar', before executing the murder. He lured her to a canal on March 6, beheaded her with a makeshift weapon, and hid the head separately, he said.

"He was caught fleeing to Nepal on Sunday, with police recovering the head, weapon, and other evidence. The accused has been sent to jail on judicial custody," the officer said.