The accused, identified as Dharamveer, a resident of Haryana, fled the spot along with his wife after committing the crime.
According to the police, the victim, Chandrashekhar Pandey (52), had recently returned to his ancestral village from Haryana to take up farming. In April this year, he had married off his eldest daughter to Dharamveer. The couple had arrived in Seli village of Dhauladevi block on June 20.
The police said that an altercation broke out the next day, following which Dharamveer attacked Pandey with a sharp agricultural tool, locally known as a "pathal".
The victim sustained over a dozen wounds, resulting in fractured limbs and severe head injuries. Following the assault, the accused and his wife locked Pandey's wife and other children inside a room before escaping, they said.
Later that evening, family members and villagers managed to break open the room and found Pandey in a critical condition.
He was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Dhauladevi, from where he was referred to the Sushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani due to his deteriorating state.
However, he succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. Doctors attributed the death to excessive bleeding and a severe skull fracture, the police said.
Danya police station in-charge Dinesh Nath Mahant said a forensic team has collected evidence from the crime scene. Preliminary investigations suggest the killing was premeditated.
Police teams are conducting raids in Seli and neighbouring areas to trace the fleeing couple, Mahant said.
The Uttarakhand Police have also contacted their counterparts in Haryana to ensure a speedy arrest. Further investigation is underway to determine the exact motive behind the murder, the officer added.
