LUCKNOW: A 50-year-old man beheaded an ice vendor following an argument and took the severed head to his hut where he put it on fire on a stove, in Parshaval village of Barabanki on Sunday morning.Villagers overpowered the accused and handed him over to the police. According to police, a 25-year-old ice vendor was going on a bicycle when he had an argument with a 50-year-old man who lived in a nearby makeshift hut.In a fit of rage, the middle-aged man attacked the ice vendor with a sharp-edged weapon and severed his head.He then took the victim’s severed head to his hut and placed it on a stove. The villagers reached the spot and overpowered the accused.SP Arpit Vijayvargiya said an FIR had been lodged on the complaint of the victim’s father.Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had a history of violent behaviour and was reportedly mentally unstable. He had disputes with his brothers and wife and had been living separately. Forensic expert Pradeep Saxena said that the act was far beyond ordinary criminal violence and reflected a severe breakdown of mental stability. “This is not a crime of impulse alone. The act of carrying the severed head home and placing it on fire suggests a symbolic or pathological urge. It may indicate cannibalistic ideation, though confirmation requires psychiatric evaluation,” Saxena said. He said that such behaviour was associated with acute psychosis, where the individual loses touch with reality. “Past violent conduct, social isolation, and disputes within family structures often act as triggers. In such cases, the offender may develop delusions, aggression, and a distorted perception of human bodies,” he said.