CHENNAI: Two brothers have been arrested for allegedly murdering their mother and younger brother over a property dispute at Anna Nagar in Chennai on Friday morning. According to the police, the wife of one of the brothers and their two children, a son (17) and a daughter (15), have also been arrested for their alleged direct involvement in the double murder.
The deceased were identified as the 68-year-old mother, who was partially paralysed, and her 42 -year-old son, a dentist who ran a private clinic in the city. Sources said the five accused and the two victims lived under the same roof in the house that was under dispute.
According to Anna Nagar police, the murders stemmed from a property dispute among the brothers over the house, which is estimated to be worth around `1 crore. The deceased had favoured entering into a joint development agreement with a builder regarding the disputed property in return for two flats, whereas the other family members allegedly opposed the move and sought to retain complete ownership of the property, police said.
A police officer told TNIE, “The group strangled the mother and son to death one after the other early on Friday and tried to stage it as an accidental death. One of the accused brothers dialled 108 and informed the ambulance service that his mother and younger brother had accidentally fallen inside the house.”
When the ambulance arrived, the medical attendants found both the mother and son dead. Noticing injuries on the necks of the deceased, they grew suspicious and alerted the police, who rushed to the spot.
During questioning, the brothers confessed to the killings, police said. “Upon further inquiries, we came to know that the two children were also involved in the crime. They were questioned, and it was confirmed that they had directly participated in the murders.
They were then formally arrested,” the officer added. The accused have been booked under BNS section 103 for murder and the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem examination. After inquiry, the three adults will be remanded, while the two children will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, police said.
(Names withheld to protect identity)