Hyderabad: A 65-year-old farmer was hacked to death by a butcher at Rebbena in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district on Friday. After killing the victim, the accused allegedly severed his head before fleeing the scene. Police arrested the accused later that day, and he was remanded in judicial custody on Saturday.The victim, M Somaiah, was a farmer from Parasnambal village in Asifabad mandal. On Thursday, Somaiah and his wife, Karunabai, visited their younger daughter’s house in Nambala village in Rebbena mandal. “My elder daughter, who works as a labourer in Hyderabad, was visiting my younger daughter. We went there to see both our daughters on Thursday,” Karunabai told the police.On Friday morning, the elder daughter was scheduled to board a train to Hyderabad from Asifabad Road railway station at Rebbena. Somaiah, his wife and their younger daughter accompanied her to the station to see her off.While the family was waiting for the train, Somaiah went out for tea at around 12.30 pm. After having tea, he started walking back to the railway station when a local butcher, B Nagesh, 40, allegedly stopped him. Nagesh asked Somaiah for ₹500 to buy liquor. When Somaiah refused and allegedly abused him, Nagesh began following him. Somaiah then walked into the roadside bushes.“Nagesh was carrying an axe and a knife. He suddenly attacked Somaiah on the neck with the axe, killing him on the spot. He then severed the victim’s head with the knife before fleeing the scene,” Rebbena circle inspector (CI) M Sanjay said.Alerted by locals, police rushed to the spot and shifted the body for post-mortem examination. Based on Karunabai’s complaint, a case was registered under Section 103(1) (murder) of the BNS on Friday, and Nagesh was arrested at Rebbena later that evening.“We produced Nagesh before the magistrate on Saturday, and he was remanded in judicial custody,” the CI said.
