Man kills brother-in-law with sharp weapon, stone in Ranchi; arrested

Ranchi: A 50-year-old man was allegedly killed by his brother-in-law with a sharp-edged weapon and a stone following a domestic dispute in Ranchi district, police said on Friday.

The incident took place in Nichetoli village under the Tamar police station limits. The deceased has been identified as Gajendra Singh, a resident of Runia village in neighbouring Khunti district.

According to police, Gajendra had arrived at his in-laws' house on Thursday along with his wife. Trouble reportedly began after the accused, identified as Bhupesh Khandit, allegedly took control of all the household utensils and refused to allow cooking at the house, insisting that the guests return to their village as he did not want them there.

The dispute escalated on Friday morning when Bhupesh’s younger sister asked him for utensils to prepare food for the family and fetch water. During the heated argument with his sister during which Bhupesh refused to give the utensils, he allegedly attacked Gajendra with a 'dauli', a locally used sharp-edged weapon, police said.

The accused then allegedly smashed Gajendra’s head with a large stone lying in the courtyard, killing him on the spot.

Police said Bhupesh’s younger sister also suffered minor injuries while trying to intervene and save her husband.

After the murder, the accused allegedly locked himself inside a room in the house and hid there. On receiving information about the incident, Tamar police station in-charge Praveen Kumar Modi reached the spot with a police team, got the room opened and arrested the accused.

Investigators said Bhupesh had earlier served jail time in connection with an attempt-to-murder case.

Considering the gravity of the crime, a Forensic Science Laboratory team from Ranchi was called to the spot to collect scientific evidence.

The body of Gajendra has been sent for post-mortem examination, while police have launched a detailed investigation into the incident and the cause for the bitterness in the family.