ROURKELA: A 42-year-old man allegedly beat his elderly parents to death with an iron pipe over property dispute at the remote Talkijharan village under Lefripada police limits in Sundargarh district, about 130 km from Rourkela, on Monday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Manuel Toppo (70) and his wife Veronika (65). The accused, Patras Toppo, is on the run after allegedly committing the crime.
Police said Patras picked up a fierce quarrel with his father, mother and elder brother Sushil at around 3 pm on Monday over distribution of their family property.
IIC of Lefripada police station Ashok Das said preliminary investigation revealed that a fight broke out between the elderly couple and Patras after the latter demanded his share of the family property. When Manuel and Veronika refused to divide the property and turned down his claim, the accused flew into rage. He grabbed the iron blowpipe kept near the mud stove in their house and reportedly assaulted the elderly couple.
Though Sushil tried to intervene, he could not save his parents from the wrath of his brother. Manuel and Veronica suffered grievous injuries in the assault. On hearing the commotion, neighbours reached the spot and immediately contacted the ambulance service.
Sources said Patras accompanied his brother Sushil in rushing their critically-injured parents to Sundargarh district headquarters hospital (DHH) in an ambulance. However, after the elderly couple succumbed to their injuries late in the night, Patras sneaked out of the DHH and absconded.
On being informed, police rushed to Talkijharan for investigation. The bodies were seized for autopsy. The IIC said the deceased couple’s elder son filed a complaint basing on which police registered a murder case. A manhunt has been launched to nab the accused who is on the run. Further investigation is underway.