A horrifying incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh on Friday when a five-year-old boy was beheaded in front of his mother by a man believed to be mentally unstable. The accused was later lynched by a furious mob before the police could take him into custody.
According to an NDTV report, the eyewitnesses said the attacker, 25-year-old Mahesh, arrived on a motorcycle and entered the home of Kalu Singh, a local resident. The family stated they had never seen the man before. Without saying a word, he picked up a sharp, spade-like tool lying in the house and launched a sudden, brutal attack on the child, severing his neck from his torso. He then struck the boy’s shoulder, further mutilating the body.
The boy’s mother attempted to intervene but was injured in the process. Witnesses described her as being in a state of severe shock, her screams ringing out across the village. Neighbours rushed to the scene and, overwhelmed with anger, caught the attacker and beat him mercilessly, the report added.
According to the report, Dhar Superintendent of Police, Mayank Awasthi, called the incident “extremely heartbreaking”, confirming that Mahesh died while being transported to the hospital after the mob assault.
“The real cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem. Initial investigations suggest he was mentally unstable,” Awasthi said.
Police have registered a case against the accused, and a judicial inquiry has been launched into the circumstances of his death.
Investigations revealed that Mahesh was a resident of Jobat Bagdi village in Alirajpur district. His family informed authorities that he had been missing for three to four days and had a history of mental illness. Just an hour before the killing, he had allegedly attempted to steal items from a nearby shop.
Authorities have assured a full investigation into both the child’s brutal murder and the mob violence that followed.