Man Strangles Mother To Death For Not Buying Him A New Smartphone

A man has been accused of strangling his mother to death after she refused to buy him a new smartphone in Bengaluru, India on Wednesday, June 1.

The accused, identified only as Deepak, 26, and his mother, 45-year-old Fathima Mary, reportedly made a living by selling home-grown crops in local markets. On Wednesday morning, June 1, as Fathima was leaving for the farm, she reminded her youngest daughter Joyce Mary, 24, to send Deepak to the field after he woke up. At around noontime, Deepak finally went to see his mother in the field, Indian Express reported.

However, Deepak returned home after a while, claiming that he could not find his mother anywhere. Following this, family members looked around the village to find Fathima. While the children were searching for Fathima, Joyce received a call from her mother’s phone. Deepak, who was on the other end of the phone call, told her that their mother had fainted and collapsed by the side of the road. Deepak then added that he suspected that someone had strangled her. The family rushed to the area, however, Fathima was already dead.

Based on Deepak’s version of events, his younger sister Joyce filed a complaint with the police stating that strangers had killed her mother on their farm. Following this, the authorities registered a murder case and launched an investigation into the murder. Based on their preliminary investigation, the officers collected fingerprints from the woman’s clothes and body and zeroed in on Deepak to be the culprit, Deccan Herald reported.

When the officers questioned Deepak, he reportedly confessed to the killing and narrated the sequence of events to the authorities. According to Deepak, after reaching the farm to see Fathima, he demanded US$257 (20,000 Indian rupees) from her to buy a brand new smartphone. However, his mother refused his demand and scolded him saying that they were finding it difficult to make ends meet and that they could not afford a smartphone.

Deepak, who felt enraged on hearing this, allegedly picked a fight with her, and in a fit of rage, strangled her to death. After choking his own mother, he left the area with US$9 (700 Indian Rupees) which he found in Fathima’s purse. Upon reaching home, he pretended that he did not know his mother’s whereabouts and later lied to his family about the victim collapsing by the road.