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Mohali: Nayagaon man booked for killing 60-year-old NRI mother
The woman was visiting her elder son from Australia in July; two days later, he informed his brother in Australia about her ‘sudden death’
Police have booked a Nayagaon resident for allegedly murdering his 60-year-old NRI mother while she was visiting him from Australia in July.
The accused has been identified as Nitin Sarna, a resident of Vikas Nagar, Nayagaon. Working at a private university, he is the elder son of the victim, Shakuntla Devi.
According to police, Devi, who retired from Punjab government as a treasury office employee, had been living in Australia with her younger son, Naman Sarna.
She had arrived in India on July 19 to visit Nitin at his residence.
In his complaint, Naman told police that two days later, he received a phone call from Nitin, informing him of their mother’s sudden death.
Suspicious of the circumstances, Naman requested Nitin to delay the cremation until his arrival. However, Nitin attempted to cremate the body the same morning.
A relative who wished not to be named said, “We received a phone call about the death at 7 am and at 9 am Nitin took the body for cremation.”
Relatives intervened and stopped the cremation, following which the body was moved to the mortuary at the Dera Bassi civil hospital for further examination.
However, on July 23, before Naman could arrive from Australia, Nitin allegedly took the body from the mortuary and cremated it without informing anyone.
According to Naman, his mother’s final photographs showed blue marks on her forehead and a cloth wrapped around her neck, raising suspicions.
Alleging foul play in her death, Naman filed a police complaint on July 24, accusing his brother of murder.
Victim had recently transferred property to other son
The victim’s relatives told police that Nitin and his mother had a strained relationship. She had recently transferred her property to her younger son, which could have been a potential motive for the alleged crime. Police are probing the case from various angles to uncover further details.
Inspector Jaideep Jakhar, station house officer (SHO), Nayagaon, confirmed that they had lodged an FIR under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “The allegations are serious, and we are thoroughly investigating the matter before making an arrest,” he said.
