Gurugram: Man assaults mother over property; tries to kill self to avoid arrest

A man allegedly assaulted his 60-year-old mother with a brick over property dispute on Friday afternoon, and later consumed poison to avoid arrest, in Gandhi Nagar, Sector 11 in Gurugram, said police.

The woman suffered severe injuries in the head and received more than 20 stitches, her family said on Saturday, adding that the elderly woman is undergoing treatment at a nearby private hospital.

Police said the 35-year-old man had gone to the hospital to check on his mother, but allegedly got to know that the police suspected him for the crime, and so he consumed poison while there. He was initially admitted to the Civil Hospital in Gurugram, and later taken to Safdarjung hospital in Delhi as his condition deteriorated.

A case was registered against the suspect under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) on the basis of a statement by the mother at the Shivaji Nagar police station late Friday night.

The woman, her husband (in his early 60s) -- a peanut wholesale trader, and their three daughters aged 30 years, 28 years and 26 years live in a three-storey house in Gandhi Nagar, police said, adding that the suspect lived separately with his wife and three minor daughters (two-and-a-half, four and eight years) in a rented accommodation in Gandhi Nagar for a year amid differences with his parents.

According to the family, the wedding of the eldest daughter, 30, was scheduled to take place on February 11.

On Friday, the suspect allegedly reached his parent’s residence and started arguing over the wedding, and later assaulted his mother with bricks, said the police.

One of the daughters, requesting anonymity, said their parents were having lunch on the terrace when the incident took place.

“He picked up a fight over his sister’s wedding as he felt the bridegroom was not good. He also kicked and punched our mother, and then picked up a brick and hit her in the head multiple times. He also threatened her of dire consequences if she agreed to the wedding. Our youngest sister, who was at home that time, called both of us to the office to inform them about the incident,” she alleged.

“After we took our mother to the hospital, our brother also reached there. He consumed poison at the entrance, probably fearing he would be arrested as we had informed the police about the incident,” she claimed.

An investigation in the case is underway, said police, adding that the woman had only told the police about her son arguing over the wedding of his sister.

Gajraj (goes by first name), in-charge of the Pataudi Chowk police post, said that the condition of the suspect is now stable. “The suspect is yet to be arrested,” he said, adding that the suspect was discharged from hospital and sent home on Saturday.