Woman bludgeoned to death in East S'bhum after tiff over mahua flowers

Jamshedpur: A dispute over the collection of mahua flowers turned fatal in East Singhbhum’s Potka block on Monday morning, when an elderly woman was brutally killed in a forest near Kundrukocha village under Kowali police station limits.The victim, identified as Buski Murmu (65), had ventured into the forest to gather fallen mahua flowers when she got into an altercation with 40-year-old co-villager Ram Sardar. According to police, the argument quickly escalated, with Sardar allegedly assaulting Murmu with a stick.He reportedly continued the attack even after she lost consciousness, later smashing her head with a large stone, killing her on the spot.Villagers who noticed the assault rushed to intervene, but by then Murmu had succumbed to her injuries. However, locals managed to catch Sardar as he attempted to flee from the spot.Police said the accused appeared mentally challenged and was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident. “We have taken him into custody and admitted him to MGM Hospital for a mental health evaluation. His statement will be recorded once his condition stabilises,” said Sandeep Bhagat, deputy superintendent of police (Musaboni range).The body has been sent for post-mortem, and further investigation is underway.