KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 ― A woman in India's Uttar Pradesh has been arrested for murdering her cleric husband by slicing off his penis.

India Today reported that the suspect removed her husband Maulvi Vakil Ahmad's manhood after the 57-year-old victim voiced his intention to take a third wife despite the suspect's pleas not to do so.

The suspect, who is the second wife, was said to have committed the crime with a kitchen knife at Shikarpur village in Muzaffarnagar while Maulvi was asleep.

He later bled to death.

According to the portal, the suspect attempted to cover up her crime by performing his last rites with the help of her relatives but an alert neighbour informed police of the man's sudden death.

The woman later confessed to the crime when questioned by police.

Police said Maulvi's body had been sent for postmortem.