Siwan, Feb 16 (IANS): A man killed his wife and injured two daughters with an axe in Bihar's Siwan district near the Mufassil police station area.

The wife Rita Devi died in the attack while the two girls -- Nikki (16) and Soni Kumari (12) -- were seriously injured and are being treated at a local hospital. The condition of one of the girls remains critical. The man Shashikant Yadav alias Raju, a resident of Tandwa village, has been arrested, a police official said on Tuesday.

The official said Raju was sleeping with his family when during the early morning hours of Tuesday, he allegedly attacked his wife and two daughters with an axe.

In-charge of Mufassil police station, Dadan Singh, said the reason behind the murder is not yet known but prima facie it appears to be an alleged dispute between the husband and wife over the sale of a plot of land.

The accused Raju is a fourth-class employee at the local DAV PG College.