Mother-son duo die in Kulti, locals allege murder-suicide

Bodies of a mother-son duo was recovered from a house in Kulti in West Burdwan today, in what locals suspect to be a case of murder followed by suicide.

Fire brigade personnel recovered the body of the elderly woman, while her son, who was found in a critically injured condition, was rushed to hospital but was declared brought dead at Asansol District Hospital.

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According to local residents, the 50-year-old son, who worked as a private security guard at a factory, allegedly shot his mother before attempting to take his own life by setting himself on fire.

Police from Kulti station rushed to the house at Ramakrishna Sarani near College More, accompanied by a fire tender. The blaze was brought under control after nearly two hours. The bodies were subsequently sent to Asansol District Hospital for post-mortem.

Dayamoy Roy, the father of the deceased man, said that he had left for his daughter’s house in Kashipore, Purulia, a few days ago after an altercation during which his son allegedly assaulted him. He added that his son had been suffering from mental health issues and worked as a gunman for a private security agency.

Neighbours alleged that the man shot his mother with his licensed firearm before setting himself ablaze. However, police officials said they have not yet confirmed any bullet injuries and are awaiting the post-mortem report.

The councillor of Ward No. 72 of the Asansol Municipal Corporation, Chaitanya Majhi, visited the house after learning of the incident. He identified the deceased as Sandhya Mukherjee (76) and Raja Mukherjee (50). At the time of the incident, the head of the family, Dayamoy Mukherjee, was in Purulia. He has been informed and is on his way back.

According to the councillor, the incident appears to have stemmed from an ongoing family dispute over the past few days. On Thursday morning, the son was reportedly engaged in a heated argument with his mother.