A 23-year-old man allegedly stabbed his uncle to death in a field and later killed his aunt at her home. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A long-running dispute over water from a shared farm well turned into a double murder in drought-hit Hingoli district on Sunday.
Police arrested Devendra Chopde (23) and his mother Arunabai Chopde (50) late on Sunday. After the attack, Devendra allegedly called Dnyaneshwar (24) and asked him to meet him. The first murder took place between 8am and 8.45am, while the second occurred around noon.
Police said Devendra and Arunabai then went to Tryambak’s house, where Mangalbai was alone. Enraged over the alleged refusal, Devendra allegedly confronted Tryambak near a sugar cane field and stabbed him repeatedly. Tryambak died on the spot. But Dnyaneshwar was away in a neighbouring village and did not return immediately. She was allegedly stabbed multiple times and killed. An FIR was registered at Aundha Nagnath police station at 7pm.
A court on Monday remanded both in five-day police custody. Police said the conflict turned deadly on Sunday morning.
Sub-inspector Shridhar Waghmare, who is the investigating officer, said Devendra claimed that despite it being his family’s turn to draw water, Tryambak’s son Dnyaneshwar (24) refused to allow them to draw water.
Additional SP Kamlesh Meena said Tryambak and Devendra’s father were brothers who had divided their ancestral land in Wadad village of Aundha Nagnath tehsil. “Devendra had probably planned to kill Dnyaneshwar as well, but when he got delayed, he targeted Mangalbai instead,” a police officer said. Each family received around seven acres and had an understanding to share water from a common well. Villagers had intervened twice in recent days and temporarily resolved the dispute. Police suspect Dnyaneshwar may have been the intended target in the second attack.