A 48-year-old man was arrested here on Wednesday for allegedly killing and chopping off the body parts of a middle-aged woman who was apparently in an illicit relationship with him, police said.

Last week, the severed head of the woman was found near the Musi river in the city on May 17 and the police had launched a probe to trace the rest of the body parts and the accused. Local civic workers were shocked upon spotting the severed head and alerted the Malakpet police station who then arrived at the spot that day.

A case was registered and eight police teams were formed to crack the murder case. They analysed CCTV footage in the area that helped in catching the accused.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East Zone) Ch Rupesh said the accused was living with the 55-year-old woman who was a local finance agent and got angered at constantly being demanded to return Rs 7 lakh that he owed her since 2018.

On May 12, the accused picked up a quarrel with the woman on the issue of paying back the borrowed money and brutally stabbed her with a knife that left her dead, he said.

Then, the man beheaded the woman, cut off the legs and hands from the trunk and preserved the legs and hands in a fridge in his house while the rest of the body was stuffed in a suitcase.

On May 15, the accused went to the banks of the Musi river with the decapitated head that he kept in a black plastic cover and threw it in a dumpyard, the DCP further said.

The man also attempted to cover up the crime by applying perfume and phenyl on the other body parts that were kept hidden to ensure the stench does not spread in the area where he was staying.

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