Family quarrels lead to killings, attempted murder in Maharashtra

Nagpur (Maharashtra) - In three separate tragic incidents resulting from family quarrels in Maharashtra, two children were brutally murdered, while an elderly couple had a narrow escape from death after their son attempted to kill them over property rights, police said here Friday.

A 35-year-old mentally disturbed woman, Sheela Bhake, attacked her four-year-old daughter Vaishali with an iron rod Thursday morning and killed her by slashing her throat and piercing her chest, police said.

A few hours later, the woman committed suicide on railway tracks near the Wardha railway station, around 50 km from Nagpur, chief of Wudkeshwar police station W.T. Wandre said.

"We are investigating how she reached Wardha and took her life," Wandre told IANS.

The body of child was found by the woman's 11-year-old son Abhishek and husband Atul, who were not at home when the murder took place.

"We are investigating the motive behind the killing," Wandre said. However, he added that her husband's alcoholism and frequent spells of unemployment apparently angered the woman.

In another similar incident Thursday, a woman killed her 30-day-old infant daughter after a quarrel with her husband in Tandalwadi town of Jalgaon district, police said.

22-year-old Rupali Choudhary used to have frequent quarrels with her her in-laws and husband Govind. However, in a fit of rage Thursday morning, she set ablaze her daughter Darshita when nobody was at home.

After noticing smoke emanating from the home, neighbours rushed in but the infant had suffered about 90 percent burns till then, said investigating officers Rahul Patil and Farid Sheikh of the Nimbora police station.

Later, a complaint was registered by the husband and the woman was arrested on murder charges.

In yet another incident, a 33-year old man attempted to kill his parents early Thursday as they slept in their room in Kurgaon village in Boisar (Thane district).

According to police, the accused Paritosh Sankhe had been pressing his parents to transfer their house in his name, but after they refused, the man opened the valve of the cooking gas cylinder and set books and furniture on fire.

He blocked the escape route of the elderly couple - Sadanand and Sarita - while they slept in the adjoining room. However, after the couple raised an alarm, the neighbours rushed in to help and called the police.

The man has been booked for attempted murder and investigations are underway, police said.