A 50-year-old man in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli, 690 km from the state capital Bhopal, allegedly beheaded his wife in front of his two children to offer her as a human sacrifice to a deity, police said.
The incident took place in the district's Basauda village. Brajesh Kewat, police said, killed his wife Bitti in front of his children - Manoj and Surendra - and buried the head and torso separately in the prayer room of his house.
After committing the crime, the accused tried to flee but was arrested on Thursday, police said.
"He killed his wife in the middle of the night and when his two children woke up, he threatened them too. They ran away and informed the locals," Arun Pandey, in-charge of a local police station, said.
When the police team reached his house, the head was buried near the deity.
Police said the accused had killed a goat some days ago over his superstitious beliefs.
Investigation is on.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
