UP man kills 70-year-old mother, sister with axe over land and pension dispute

A family dispute over land and pension money turned fatal in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district on Friday when a man attacked his mother and sister with an axe, killing both.

The victims were identified as 70-year-old Sheetla Devi and her daughter Gaura Devi, 40.

According to police, the family had been involved in a long-running dispute over land and the pension received by Sheetla Devi. The accused, Bhupendra Patel, was also allegedly suspicious that his mother would give the property to his sister in the future.

The dispute escalated during an argument at the family home on Friday afternoon. Bhupendra brought an axe from inside the house and attacked his mother. Sheetla Devi died at the spot from her injuries.

Gaura Devi, who intervened while trying to save her mother, was also attacked with the axe and died.

Police said Bhupendra remained at the house after the incident and was arrested when a team reached the village. The axe used in the attack was also recovered.

The family had been embroiled in a property dispute for several years. Sheetla Devi's husband, Rajpati Patel, was a retired teacher. The couple had six daughters and Bhupendra was their youngest child.

According to family members, around six years ago, Rajpati Patel had made a will in favour of his youngest daughter, Gaura Devi. The property dispute later reached the legal system. The family subsequently divided the land, with some portions going to the daughters and the remaining property reportedly being shared by Sheetla Devi and Bhupendra.

Police said disputes over Sheetla Devi's pension and property had also led to repeated disagreements between the mother, daughter and son.

Following the double murder, police teams from around 10 nearby stations were deployed in the village. Senior police officials, including Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Atish Kumar Singh, inspected the scene.

The bodies were sent for further legal proceedings.

"Bhupendra Patel had a family dispute with his mother and sister and had been angry with them for some time. He attacked both of them with an axe, killing them," ASP (Rural) Atish Kumar Singh said. He added that the accused had been arrested and the weapon used in the crime recovered. Police are investigating the case.- Ends(Inputs by Aditya Prakash Bhardwaj)Published By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 18, 2026 23:46 IST