The man killed his wife with an axe and also attacked his sister-in-law and mother-in-law | REUTERS image for representation

A 40-year-old man was beaten to death by a mob when he was fleeing a village in Fatehpur district allegedly after killing his wife with an axe and injuring his in-laws, police said on Saturday.

A purported video of Nisar Qureshi's killing was shared widely on social media and three people were arrested after being identified through it, they said.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police OP Singh told reporters in Amethi that the incident occurred on Wednesday when Qureshi, who is from Chhattisgarh, was visiting his in-laws' house in Fatehpur.

He killed his wife Afsari (35) with an axe and also attacked his sister-in-law and mother-in-law. Qureshi was fleeing from the spot when he was caught by locals who thrashed him to death, the official said.

The DGP said that the incident was being probed and the guilty would be punished.

Gazipur Station House Officer Sandeep Tiwari said that Qureshi's brother Ishfaq lodged a complaint against 100-150 people on Friday following which a case was registered.

He said that Ishfaq also handed him the video of the incident.

Fatehpur Superintendent of Police Prashant Verma said three people were arrested in connection with the man's death and they were identified through the video. He said efforts were on to arrest the other accused.

A doctor, who conducted the post-mortem examination, said that apart from sustaining injuries to his head and mouth, a number of Qureshi's bones were fractured.