The Punalur police on Wednesday arrested a Kollam native on charges of murdering his 70-year-old mother-in-law at his residence earlier in the day. The accused has been identified as Usman, a resident of Vaalacodu in Kollam district.

The incident occurred when 70-year-old Saithul Beevi intervened as the accused, her son-in-law, allegedly assaulted her daughter, Haseena. According to the FIR, Usman returned home around noon in an intoxicated condition and slept until 3 pm. Upon waking up, he questioned his wife over why she had not served him lunch.

When Usman began assaulting Haseena, Saithul Beevi intervened in an attempt to defuse the situation. Enraged by her intervention, Usman shouted that he would kill her before pulling her by the hair and repeatedly hitting and kicking her until she fell to the floor. He then resumed assaulting his wife, police said.

Following the incident, Saithul Beevi was rushed to the Punalur Taluk Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

A case was subsequently registered against Usman, who was arrested from his residence around 4.30 pm on Wednesday. "As soon as we were intimated of the woman's death, we rushed to the spot and took the accused into custody. He did not get the time to go into hiding," the police told Onmanorama.

The police have booked Usman under Section 103(1) (Punishment for murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.