A mob lynched a 40-year-old man after he allegedly killed his wife in Vaishali district on Thursday morning.

The incident occurred around 3am at Madarna village under the jurisdiction of Vaishali police station, around 50km north of Patna.

Police said the deceased, Pappu Singh, was brutally assaulted after residents spotted him hiding in a maize field behind his in-laws' house after killing his wife Rekha Devi (35) with a weapon.

Pappu, a resident of Khirkhuwa village under the juris-diction of Bhagwanpur police station in Vaishali district, was rushed to the local primary health centre from where he was referred to Hajipur sadar hospital. Doctors there declared him brought dead.

On Wednesday night, Pappu, a habitual drinker, had an altercation with his wife over some trivial issue. He took Rekha to a secluded place around midnight and attacked her with a knife.

The station house officer (SHO) of Vaishali police station, Suman Kumar, said Rekha suffered multiple injuries on her body, leading to her instant death.

Enraged over Rekha's murder, her family members, along with other residents, assaulted Pappu. The couple are survived by three children.

Rekha left her in-laws' house about a month ago and started living with her parents, which didn't go down well with Pappu.

Two separate FIRs have been lodged with Vaishali police station over the deaths.