Double murder in Nagpur: Engineering student strangles mother, stabs father over career dispute

In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old engineering student allegedly murdered his parents in Maharashtra's Nagpur following differences over his education and career, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Utkarsh Dhakhole, committed the gruesome murder on December 26 at his parent's residence in the Kapil Nagar area of the city. Authorities were first alerted about the double murder case after neighbours complained of a foul smell.

Deputy Commissioner of Police- Zone V (DCP) Niketan Kadam said the accused was arrested and confessed to the killing after the decomposed bodies of his parents were recovered. The victims were identified as 55-year-old Liladhar Dhakhole and his 50-year-old wife Aruna.

How Nagpur double murder case took place?

“Utkarsh allegedly strangled his mother, a teacher, around noon on December 26 and later stabbed his father, a technician at a power plant and social worker, to death when he returned home around 5 pm. He then left the bodies there,” PTI quoted the police official as saying.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the motive was a dispute over Utkarsh's struggling academic record and career. The official added, “Utkarsh failed to clear several subjects during his engineering course. His parents, therefore, wanted him to quit engineering and choose something else. However, he was against their suggestion.”

To erase suspicion, Utkarsh Dhakhole took his college-going sister, who was unaware of her parent's murder, to their uncle's residence and began living with them. Furthermore, to conceal his wrongdoing, he lied to his relatives that his parents had gone to Bengaluru for a few days. His false narrative suggested that his parents were on a meditation programme in Karnataka's capital.

Niketan Kadam said, “He falsely told the relatives that his parents had gone to Bengaluru to participate in a meditation programme for a few days. Along with his sister, Utkarsh also stayed at his uncle's place.”

(With PTI inputs)