ROURKELA: An elderly man hacked his 40-year-old nephew to death following a fierce quarrel at Sanjolo village within Mohulpada police limits, around 100 km from Rourkela, in Sundargarh district on Saturday night.
The deceased was identified as Dhula Dehuri. The accused, 68-year-old Sukadev Dehuri, has been detained by police.
Sources said the uncle-nephew duo had a bitter relationship and used to quarrel frequently. On Saturday night, Sukadev was enraged after Dhula reportedly threatened to kill him.
IIC of Mohulpada police station Suresh Chandra Pradhan said the accused and his nephew were neighbours. Dhula claimed ownership of a mahula tree located on the edge of his uncle’s garden and used to quarrel with Sukadev on a regular basis.
Pradhan said during interrogation, the elderly man claimed that he killed his nephew with a sickle-like sharp weapon after the latter threatened to kill him. The accused failed to specify any reason for their quarrel on Saturday night but said his nephew nursed a grudge against him over the ownership of the tree.
The IIC said the deceased’s body has been sent to the hospital for autopsy. The accused is being questioned and will be arrested. Further investigation is underway and accounts of villagers are being collected to ascertain the exact motive behind the murder, he added.