Hans News Service Sultanpur

A government school headmaster and his wife, who was the principal of a private school they owned in Sultanpur district, were allegedly hacked to death with an axe and a spade, police said on Tuesday.

The couple were found dead at their private school in Kumbhi Dadiya village under the Kadipur Kotwali police station area. They lived on the school premises, police said. Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal said it was not immediately clear whether the killings took place on Monday night or Tuesday morning.

The incident came to light on Tuesday morning when school employees arrived and found the bodies lying in pools of blood, he said. The deceased have been identified as Mukesh Singh (45) and his wife Vinita (42), he said.

According to preliminary police assessment, Vinita was attacked with an axe, spade and possibly other weapons inside a room in the school.

Mukesh was also found dead about 150 metres away from her. An axe, spade and knife were recovered from the spot, they said.

SP Jaiswal said the family members of the deceased have been informed. The bodies were being sent for post-mortem examination, and further legal action would be taken after the arrival of their relatives, he said. Kadipur Circle Officer Vinay Gautam and local police arrived at the spot and began an investigation. The couple is survived by a 20-year-old son, Abhyuday, who is studying at a university in Delhi. Mukesh established the private educational institution in Kumbhi Dadiya village in 2002 and had been living there with his wife, locals said.