Lucknow: A 56-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death by her son after she refused to give him money to buy liquor in Sitapur's Katra village on Thursday.
The deceased, identified as Shiv Kumari, was found lying in a pool of blood inside her house. Her elder son, Harendra Kumar, 36, an alleged alcoholic, has been named as the accused.
According to villagers, the incident came to light around 9 am when Harendra stepped out and informed locals that his mother died, before returning to his hut and lying down. Residents said he appeared heavily intoxicated, raising suspicion. Police were alerted soon after.
A team reached the spot and recovered Shiv Kumari's body beneath a thatched structure. Preliminary findings suggest she was assaulted with a wooden stick.
The victim's younger son,
Ashok, 31, alleged that Harendra often demanded money from their mother for liquor and assaulted her on refusal. He told police that a similar altercation on Wednesday escalated into the fatal attack.
Villagers claimed the accused beat his mother a day earlier as well, but no one anticipated the assault would turn fatal. While locals said Harendra was later taken away, police stated he fled and efforts are on to arrest him.
SHO Ashutosh Mishra said an FIR for murder has been registered based on Ashok's complaint.