Kasaragod: A youth who killed his 59-year-old mother and tried to murder his aunt was arrested from Udupi in Karnataka on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Hilda Montero, a resident of Nallengi in Vorkady panchayat. 

According to the police, her son, Melvin Montero (26), woke her up, took her to the kitchen, poured petrol on her, and set her on fire around 1 am. 

After murdering his mother, he went to his maternal uncle's house next door and called out to his wife, Lolita (30), claiming his mother was missing. When she stepped out, he allegedly hit her head, poured petrol on her and set her on fire as well, said Nallengi ward member Malathi K. "Her husband is abroad, and they have a five-year-old son," she said.

The neighbours were alerted by Lolita’s screams. She sustained burn injuries and is being treated at Yenepoya Hospital in Mangaluru. "She is in the ICU, but we are told she is out of danger," said social worker and Congress leader Harshad Vorkady.

After the incident, Melvin is believed to have walked nearly 4 km to Majirpalla, where he hired an autorickshaw to Hosangadi junction near Manjeshwar. Police said he enquired with the auto driver about the next bus to Mangaluru. “Yesterday, he told his friends he was going to Kundapura (in Udupi district),” said Malathi.

Kasaragod district police chief B V Vijaya Bharath Reddy said Melvin was arrested from Kundapura in Udupi district, about 120 km from Vorkady. 

Police tracked Melvin by monitoring his mobile phone, which he was switching on intermittently. He travelled in three different buses before reaching Kundapura, where he bathed, bought a bottle of liquor, and hired an autorickshaw to a quarry on the town's outskirts. Investigators traced the auto driver, who provided the exact location where he had dropped Melvin. 

Reddy said he had been coordinating with the Udupi district police chief and the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner to locate and apprehend the accused.

Melvin and his mother were the only residents in the house. His brother, Alvin Montero, had left for Kuwait a few weeks ago for work. Their father, Louis Montero, died about five years ago.

Hilda had reportedly gone to bed after dinner on Wednesday when she was attacked. Her body was found in the backyard, about 50 metres from the house. “We don’t know whether Melvin dragged the body there or if she ran out to escape the flames,” said a police officer.

Police said Melvin worked in a laterite stone quarry and was a habitual drinker. "But that can’t be a reason to kill one’s mother," said Aboobacker Siddeek P, vice-president of the panchayat. “We still don’t know the motive.” Senior police officials also visited the scene.