'She okay?': Thrissur man under psychiatric care asks cops after killing mom in house
A man, undergoing treatment for mental health issues, allegedly hacked his mother to death after suspecting she spoke ill of him, later inquiring if she was well.
A man, undergoing treatment for mental health issues, allegedly hacked his mother to death after suspecting she spoke ill of him, later inquiring if she was well.
A man, undergoing treatment for mental health issues, allegedly hacked his mother to death after suspecting she spoke ill of him, later inquiring if she was well.
Thrissur: Benhar, 46, who allegedly hacked his mother, Dolly, 69, to death at their house in Pavaratty on Monday, initially told police that he attacked her because he suspected she was speaking ill of him. However, he later asked police whether his mother was fine and doing well.
Benhar, who police said has been undergoing treatment for depression and other mental health issues, was arrested after the incident. Police found him sitting calmly inside the house.
The incident took place around 10.30 am when Dolly was speaking to Davis, 57, a contract worker, about renovating the walls of the car porch. According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Pavaratty police station, Benhar came out of the house, held his mother by the neck and stabbed her.
When Dolly tried to flee, she fell to the ground, and Benhar allegedly stabbed her again. He then went inside the house, brought another weapon and repeatedly hacked her, the FIR stated.
Davis tried to intervene but was also stabbed in the hand and sustained injuries. Residents later overpowered Benhar and stopped him. Dolly was rushed to Thrissur Medical College Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries around 11.30 am.
"Benhar keeps changing his statements. Initially, he told police that he attacked his mother because he suspected that she was speaking ill about him, but later asked whether she was fine," Guruvayur ACP Surendran Manghatt told Onmanorama.
Dolly was a homemaker, while Benhar was unemployed. Residents said the two had been living alone since the death of Benhar's father, Cherian, who was a bank manager and the death of his younger brother Anwar, who suffered a heart attack four years ago.
Police said neighbours described Benhar as generally calm and said they had never witnessed any violent behaviour from him before. They were also unaware of what might have triggered the sudden attack.
Pavaratty West ward member V J Varghese told Onmanorama that Benhar had shown symptoms of mental health issues since his school days in Bengaluru, but had never displayed overtly violent behaviour. "Despite his mental disturbances, he has never exhibited any violent behaviour outwardly," Varghese said. He added that he had seen Dolly standing and speaking to workers on Monday morning, shortly before the incident.
"The incident came as a shock. The worker who tried to take the knife from Benhar's hand sustained injuries but is currently fine," he said. The autopsy has been completed, and Dolly's funeral will be held at 11 am on Wednesday.
A case has been registered at the Pavaratty police station under Sections 118(1) (physical hurt using dangerous weapons) and 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Benhar will be produced before a court on Tuesday and remanded to custody. Further investigation is underway.