17 April 2023 , 13:11
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A couple took their own lives by decapitating themselves with a makeshift guillotine, it has emerged.
Police said the bizarre contraption was created so the husband and wife could offer their heads as a sacrifice.
Farmer Hemubhai Makwana, 38, and 35-year-old wife Hansaben "severed" their heads from their bodies with a "guillotine-like mechanism" in Vinchiya, a village in Rajkot, India.
The heads rolled into a "fire altar" as part of a ritual sacrifice.
The suicidal ritual happened between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, police found.
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They left a note for their family who lived nearby, asking their parents to take care of their kids, a son aged 13 and daughter aged 12.
The letter also said they had killed themselves willingly, and that no one else was to blame.
A post-mortem will be carried out and officials have recorded a case of accidental death.
Relatives said the couple had been praying at home every day in the year leading up to their death.
Their children discovered their headless bodies on their farm after returning from their uncle's home.
Vinchiya police sub-inspector Indrajitsinh Jadeja said: "The couple used a make-shift guillotine to end their lives.
"It is believed that they pulled up the blades of the guillotine themselves and released it in such a manner that their heads fell into a 'havan kund' [ritual fire pit]."
They had turned their home into a temporary temple with grain bags and a picture of the Hindu god Shiva.
"We are recording statements of the family members and trying to know the reason behind the couple's extreme step," Jadeja told the Times of India.
Relative Jayanti Jatapar said they had not been involved in any family disputes, nor were they experiencing financial issues.
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But the police said their investigation continues.
"We will get a clear picture once we record statements of all the family members," Jadeja added.
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