Thodupuzha : A family dispute over property ended tragically on Saturday, after the elderly father locked the room his son and family slept in, poured petrol through the window and lit fire burning alive all of them all to death.
The deceased are : Muhammed Faisal(45), wife Sheeba)45), daughters Meher(16) and Hasna(13). Faisal’s father Hameed(79) has been taken into custody.
The incident took place past Saturday midnight at 12.45 am in Cheenikuzhiyil. There was longstanding dispute inside the family over property share. Hameed’s neighbours say he had talked of ‘finishing’ the son’s family to end the fight but nobody imagined him to do good on that threat.
During the day of fateful Saturday too, there had occurred another noisy altercation between son and Hameed, and according to witnesses, the fight had got a bit physical.
By all appearances, the murder was well planned for, say police. Hameed drained the water tank so the family does not stand a chance to douse fire with tap water from the bathroom. Also, Hameed locked the deceased family’s room from outside blocking their escape.
When fire broke, Fasal phoned his nieghbour Rahul for help. Though Rahul broke open the main entrance and the bedroom door, the family room was completely engulfed in flames and Hameed was throwing more petrol bottles into the fire. Fasal, wife and his two teenage daughters had snuggled into the attached bathroom screaming for help all time until they were eventually consumed by the fire.
