Man Axed To Death As Onlookers, Police Watch On Busy Street

In a shocking incident, a man was hacked to death with an axe on a busy road in the presence of policemen in the Indian city of Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Videos of the incident show two men chasing the victim and beating him, before one of them hacks the person to death with an axe in front of a crowd of around hundred people. A police van is seen passing by at the time.

Some bystanders tried to stop the attackers. While one of them hurled what looks like a hard hat at the attacker, another kicked the attacker, making him fall down. However, everything was in vain as the attacker got back up and continued stabbing the victim.

After the victim stops moving, one of the attackers is seen buttoning his shirt and raising his arms as if after a victory and walks away. The duo was later arrested by the police.

Eyewitnesses said there were three police officers inside the van but they did not stop by to take control of the situation. The officials, however, claimed they had gone to get their batons.

"Two policemen went to get their batons. By the time they returned, it was too late. Both the accused have been arrested,'' Prakash Reddy, a police officer, told local news channel NDTV.

He also clarified that the police van seen in the video went a few yards ahead and stopped by the roadside. “They couldn't have stopped in the middle of the road as that would have led to a traffic jam. They returned to the spot and arrested the attackers," he said.

Police believe revenge may have been the motive for the murder. The deceased man was identified as Ramesh, who is the main accused in the murder of a person named Mahesh Goud.

According to reports, Ramesh had extramarital relations with a woman with whom Mahesh also developed a friendship. Ramesh hatched a plot to kill Mahesh as he did not mend his ways. He along with three others took Mahesh on a trip and slit his throat with a knife in the moving car. His body was later burnt and thrown near a temple in December 2017.

Ramesh was returning from the court Wednesday when Krishna Goud and Laxman Goud, Mahesh's father and uncle, intercepted him and launched the attack. Police said while Krishna led the attack, Laxman managed the crowds. While some bystanders did try to stop the attackers, others were busy recording the murder on their cellphones.

Several videos of the brutal killing are now being widely shared on social media.