Kochi: An 84-year-old man allegedly bludgeoned his wife and son to death in the wee hours of Saturday after a spat over the rising power bill following the installation of an air-conditioner in his house in Karukutty near Angamaly, around 40 km from here.
Paul of Painadathunaduvil house, a retired railway employee, was arrested for beating to death his wife Mary, 74, and son P.P. Thomas, 54, using an iron rod while they were fast asleep in the same room around 1.30 am.
According to police, the family was solely dependent on his pension. The elder son, who had separated from his wife, was living with the aged couple for the past several years after he quit his job in the Gulf. 
The victim Mary Paul
Paul, who retired as office superintendent, was concerned over the rising power bills, especially after he paid over Rs 4,000 towards electricity bill last month. He had asked his wife and son not to use air-conditioner for long hours and had frequent quarrels with them over the issue.
On Friday night too, an argument broke out among them over the ‘wastage’ of electricity. But both his wife and son, who had recently undergone treatment for heart problem, ignored his advice and switched on the AC.
The retired railway employee Paul of Painadathunaduvil house, became furious when he found that the AC was switched on. “Paul woke up around 1.30 a.m. and saw Thomas and Mary sleeping in a room with the air conditioner on. In a fit of rage, he got hold of a crowbar used for agricultural purposes from the shed on the backyard of his house and repeatedly hit Thomas on his head. Hearing his cry, Mary woke up when the octogenarian beat her too in her head,” said Angamaly Circle Inspector A.K. Viswanathan.
While Thomas died on the spot, Mary was seen lying in a pool of blood on the floor when cops arrived. She succumbed to her injuries while being rushed to the hospital, he said.
After the attack, Paul reportedly rang up his younger son Johny working in Qatar and informed him about the incident and also told him that he was going to commit suicide. The latter immediately alerted neighbours and relatives who called up the police.
Meanwhile, Paul attempted suicide but neighbours prevented him from doing so. The cops later took him into custody. The officer said both the deceased had multiple injuries on their head. Though at the time of the incident, the daughter of his younger son Johny was sleeping in another room, she didn’t know about the whole thing till cops turned up at the house.
According to cops, the elderly couple and their son were not friendly with the neighbours and often kept aloof. Paul was produced before a magistrate court which remanded him into judicial custody.
