MP horror: 5-year-old beheaded in front of mother; accused thrashed by mob, dies

A shocking incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh when a 5-year-old boy named Vikas was allegedly beheaded by an unidentified man in front of his mother on September 26. The accused is believed to be mentally unstable, according to a report by NDTV. The accused died on the way to the hospital following the mob who thrashed him, Dhar Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi informed.

The child's mother, who tried frantically to protect him, sustained injuries and was left deeply traumatised, her screams ringing out across the village. Alarmed by the noise, neighbours hurried to the spot and, enraged by what had happened, held the accused. the report said, adding that the villagers severely beat him before the police reached the scene.

What did the eyewitnesses say?

The 25-year-old accused, Mahesh, arrived at Kalu Singh's home on a motorcycle, eyewitnesses said. He was reportedly a stranger to the resident family. Without warning or exchange, Mahesh seized a sharp, spade-like tool found on the premises and allegedly assaulted the boy. The attack was reportedly swift and brutal as the child was decapitated, his neck severed from his torso, and the assailant then struck the boy's shoulder, resulting in severe mutilation of the body.

Awasthi described the incident “extremely heartbreaking”. "The real cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem. Initial investigations suggest he was mentally unstable," NDTV quoted Awasthi as saying.

A case has been filed against the accused, and a judicial inquiry has been launched into his death,, the report noted. Investigations uncovered that Mahesh was from Jobat Bagdi in Alirajpur district. His family reportedly informed the police that he had been mentally unstable and had been missing for three to four days. Just an hour before the horrific attack, he allegedly attempted to steal items from a nearby shop.

Previous similar incident

In a separate incident, residents of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh found the beheaded body of a woman in a field. Her head was discovered partially buried in the soil a short distance away from her torso, as per reports.

The victim was identified as 60-year-old Kalawati Yadav, who lived in Bhui Dharpur village. A sickle was also recovered from the scene.

According to Uttara Devi, Kalawati’s daughter-in-law, Kalawati had left home around 2 pm on Thursday, saying she was going to see a doctor near Mangru crossing. She later visited another doctor in Pipiganj but never returned. The family began searching for her and was informed of her death the following morning.

One suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the case.