Thane, May 4 (PTI) A 52-year-old man was axed to death in public over a dispute in a village in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Sunday.

The attack took place at Jambrude village in Murbad taluka on Saturday morning, an official said.

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He said five persons allegedly assaulted the victim, Barchandra Birhade, with an axe in the village square and killed him on the spot.

Locals immediately alerted the police, and the body was sent for post-mortem to a nearby government hospital.

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The official said a preliminary probe revealed that the victim's son is the deputy sarpanch of the village, while the accused were affiliated with the sarpanch, who is a woman.

He said there were tensions between the two groups for months over development projects and RTI (Right to Information) disclosures initiated by the victim's side.

The police have arrested one person in connection with the attack, and a hunt has been launched for the suspects who are absconding, the official said.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim's family, the police have registered a case under section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the woman sarpanch has also been named as an accused, he said.

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