20-year-old held accused of murdering stepfather in Pataudi

Investigators said the victim was attacked with a crowbar after midnight. Police recovered the weapon and launched a search for the suspect.

A 20-year-old man allegedly murdered his stepfather while he was asleep by stabbing his neck multiple times with a crowbar in Pataudi early Wednesday, allegedly to avenge being separated from his mother, police said.

Police said the accused had recently arrived from Bareilly and allegedly harboured resentment over being separated from his mother. (File photo)

The incident took place between 1.30am and 2am at the family’s residence, officers added. Police said the victim was sleeping in the courtyard when the suspect allegedly attacked him with a crowbar kept inside the house, lacerating his neck multiple times. Investigators said the victim died within seconds and had no opportunity to defend himself as he was asleep.

The wife and daughter were at home and rushed out after hearing the commotion, finding the man lying in a pool of blood on a cot in the courtyard, police said. After they raised an alarm, neighbours rushed to the spot alerted the police control room.

After the attack, the suspect fled. Police recovered the blood-stained crowbar from the scene and launched a manhunt. According to investigators, the suspect had arrived in Gurugram from Bareilly about a week ago to meet his mother. Police said he shared a bitter relationship with his stepfather.

“The deceased had married the accused’s mother almost 13 years back. This was the woman’s second marriage. The accused had a strained relationship with the victim, and he never liked his stepfather as per the preliminary investigation,” Turan said.

A police officer privy to the investigation said the suspect was angry over the family’s move to Gurugram, believing it had separated him from his mother. The officer said the suspect allegedly killed his stepfather after repeated heated arguments.

On the woman’s complaint, police registered an FIR under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Pataudi police station after an autopsy. Multiple teams are conducting raids at locations where the suspect may be hiding.