A court in West Bengal has sentenced a man to life imprisonment and his wife to five years in prison for their roles in the brutal killing and dismemberment of a villager in 2018, a case that shocked the local community.

According to court documents, the incident took place on November 6, 2018, in Dakshin Jojra village under Madhyamgram police station, on the outskirts of Kolkata.

Investigators revealed that Abdul Hasan had been in an extramarital relationship with Arjina Bibi, the wife of Zakir Hossain. On the night of the murder, Hasan visited Arjina at her home while her husband was away. But Zakir unexpectedly returned, sparking a heated confrontation.

During the altercation, Zakir strangled Hasan to death. With Arjina’s help, he attempted to dispose of the body. Police said the couple dismembered the victim, severing his legs and decapitating him in an effort to conceal his identity, before dumping the torso in the Noai canal near the village.

That same night, Hasan’s family lodged a missing person complaint. The following day, locals discovered a mutilated body floating in the canal and alerted authorities. Acting on leads, Madhyamgram police arrested Zakir and Arjina, both of whom later confessed to the crime. Police subsequently recovered the victim’s head and severed legs from a hideout linked to Zakir.

“This was a highly heinous crime involving murder, destruction of evidence, and common intention,” said public prosecutor Sandip Chattopadhyay, noting that 19 witnesses testified in the case. Police filed the chargesheet within 90 days.

On Friday, Judge Dipali Srivastava (Sinha) of Barasat’s 5th Court sentenced Zakir Hossain to life imprisonment and fined him ₹5,000 ($60), while his wife Arjina Bibi was sentenced to five years in prison and fined ₹1,000 ($12). In default of payment, Arjina will serve an additional month in prison.

Prosecutor Chattopadhyay told the court he had sought the maximum penalty of a death sentence, underscoring the brutality of the crime.