An unemployed man allegedly battered his 76-year-old-mother with a brick and then strangled her using a mouldable plastic pipe as he could not afford to look after her. He then sat beside her body for hours crying, before calling the police and surrendering in south-west Delhi’s Sagarpur area. Police arrested the man after he surrendered.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, south-west district, Surender Kumar said that the incident took place on April 25. The man killed his mother as she refused to leave the house and live at an old-age home as her son could not afford to provide for her.
“The accused has been identified as laxman Kumar, 48, who was suffering from depression and was unemployed,” said Kumar.
The incident underpinned a 2016 study by an NGO which said a majority of older people in India face abuse that included denial of food, medicines, emotional blackmailing, threatening, shouting, and beating. India has more than 100 million people above the age of 60 years who are categorised as elderly.
“He did not wish to keep his mother with him because he was not financially sound. He said he could not afford her,” the DCP said.
“In his statement, he said he asked her to leave the house several times, but she refused saying she had nowhere to go. He said he told her to either go to an old-age home or an ashram or to her other son who lives in Faridabad but she refused to leave the house, which angered him.” said the police official.
laxman, who was unemployed, stayed with his mother after his wife left him two years ago.
Police quoted neighbours as saying that the accused often fought with his mother and that they could hear her cries.
On Tuesday, however, the fight took an ugly turn and laxman allegedly attacked her with a brick. “He said that was the only option he thought was left to get rid of her,” the official added.
laxman told police he realised his mistake and repented. It is then he called the police and informed them.
“He called us and said ‘maine amma ko maar diya’.” said the DCP.