Starving Driver Beats Mother To Death, Burns Body After She Refused To Give Him Money To Buy Food

A 32-year-old man allegedly beat his mother to death and set her body on fire after she refused to give him money for food. The horrifying incident happened in the evening hours on Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the family’s home in Bhubhaneshwar, a city in India’s eastern state of Odisha.

The accused son, identified only as Prashant, has been arrested for allegedly murdering his mother, Rashmita Jena, and burning her body with the intention to hide evidence, according to the police.

Neighbors rushed to the family’s home after spotting smoke and fire coming from the inside. They reportedly went in and found Prashant standing next to his mother’s burning body.

The police were alerted and the responding officers took the suspect into custody, without incident, reports said.

During interrogation, the accused told investigators that he was a driver by profession but had been unemployed since the time the Covid-19 pandemic hit. He said he had been starving for the last two days and had gone to his mother asking her for some money to buy food.

When she reportedly refused, the accused son smashed his mother's head with a blunt object and then set her ablaze, according to reports.

Police said that they are yet to ascertain the suspect’s mental condition and are investigating to find out if he is addicted to drugs.

A similar incident was reported on Sept. 30, from Shailana town in Ratlam district of India's Madhya Pradesh, when a man allegedly pushed his physically challenged mother into a well after she refused to give him money for his wedding.

The 22-year-old accused, identified as Pushkar Gwala took his mother, Kalabai Gwala to a well on the pretext of performing a ritual to remove ill-spirit from their home.

Once there, Pushkar asked his mother to close her eyes and chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya’. He also gave her a coconut and asked her to throw it into the well.

While Kalabai was throwing the coconut into the well, the accused pushed her into the deep well and fled the scene, police said.

Fortunately, the elderly woman managed to hold onto the pipe of a water pump and screamed for help.

Locals who heard the woman’s cries rushed to the scene and pulled her out of the well.

She was then taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for her injuries and later discharged.

Kalabai told the police that her son had demanded Rs 5000 ($USD 66 approx.) from her for his marriage, but she refused to give him the money.

A manhunt had been initiated to nab Pushkar. He was arrested and a case of attempt to murder had been registered against him.