In debt, 27-year-old murders grandfather

Rajkot: A 73-year-old man was allegedly bludgeoned to death by his grandson in Rajkot, with investigators saying a dispute over agricultural land and an unpaid loan sparked the killing. The grandson, arrested within hours, allegedly have tried to pass off the death as an accidental fall.

Police identified the victim as Arjan Miyatra and the accused as Mohit Miyatra, 27. The arrest was made on Monday by University police after investigators found inconsistencies in Mohit’s account of events.

According to police, Mohit called his uncle, Hari Makwana, 49, on Monday morning and said his grandfather had fallen at home and suffered a head injury. Hari, the husband of Arjan’s daughter, rushed to the house near Devjivan Hotel on Shastrinagar Main Road and found Arjan lying near the entrance to a room with severe head wounds.

Police said Hari grew suspicious when Mohit resisted shifting Arjan to hospital and objected to a postmortem. Hari nevertheless called an ambulance and took Arjan to Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Mohit initially told relatives and police that he had visited his grandfather’s house around 6am to collect a gas cylinder and that Arjan had been injured in a fall.

During the probe, police found evidence of a dispute between the two. About eight days earlier, Arjan had expressed fears about a conflict between him and Mohit.

Investigators said the quarrel focused on seven acres of agricultural land against which Mohit had taken a loan of Rs 2.5 lakh. He had repaid only Rs 1.54 lakh and wanted Arjan to clear the remainder, triggering repeated arguments.

“We believe that during an argument on Monday, Mohit struck Arjan with a paver block and a metal table, causing fatal head injuries. He then tried to portray the death as an accidental fall to cover up the crime,” said Chintan Dave, the investigating officer. Further investigation is under way.