A 72-year-old man was gruesomely killed with an axe in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district on Sunday following a heated argument, police reported. The shocking incident occurred around 11 a.m. in Naughira village under the Manjhanpur police station area, sending ripples of horror through the local community.

According to Station House Officer (SHO) Sanjay Tripathi, the victim, identified as Budhai from Kodar village, had visited the home of Shyam Lal to procure medicine for his grandson. While there, he engaged in a confrontation with Prem Lal, a local resident who was chopping wood nearby with an axe.

In a sudden outburst of anger, Prem attacked Budhai, inflicting severe injuries. Villagers rushed the elderly man to a nearby hospital, but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

The police have sent Budhai’s body for a post-mortem examination and registered a case against Prem based on a complaint from the victim’s family.

The accused fled the scene, and authorities have launched a manhunt to apprehend him. The motive behind the altercation remains under investigation.