Maharashtra: Son turns killer over farmland dispute, ends life after murdering mother

Latur (Maharashtra), Aug 9 (IANS) A 45-year-old man allegedly murdered his 70-year-old mother over a dispute concerning agricultural land and later took his own life in Maharashtra’s Latur district, the police said on Saturday.

The shocking incident took place in Sangvi village of Renapur taluka, where the deceased have been identified as Laxmibai Ghuge (70) and her son Baban Ghuge (45).

According to preliminary investigations, tensions had been simmering in the family over the sale of their farmland. Police sources said Baban had been pressuring his mother to sell the land to raise funds, but Laxmibai steadfastly refused. The disagreement reportedly escalated into frequent quarrels.

Police said that in a sudden burst of rage a few days ago, Baban allegedly strangled his mother to death and buried her body in a nearby sugarcane field.

The crime remained hidden until villagers, alarmed by Laxmibai’s sudden disappearance, began searching for her. Their suspicions grew stronger when they noticed signs of freshly disturbed soil in the sugarcane field. On digging, they made the grim discovery, prompting outrage and grief across the village.

Police said that within hours of the killing, Baban apparently ended his own life by hanging from a tree near his home -- an act possibly driven by guilt, fear of arrest, or emotional breakdown.

Renapur police rushed to the scene, recovered both bodies, and sent them for post-mortem examination. The mother and son were later cremated on the same funeral pyre in the presence of heartbroken relatives and stunned villagers.

A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway. Residents described the episode as a “dark and unforgettable day” for their village, with many expressing disbelief that a land dispute could lead to such a devastating breach of the sacred bond between a mother and her son.

--IANS

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