The hammer when examined under UV light had blood stains on it, police said. (Representational)
A 46-year-old man has been arrested from the Salem Tabri locality here for allegedly killing three of a family with a hammer over being pestered to have a child, police said on Saturday.
The Ludhiana Police said the accused Robin alias Munna was a neighbour of the family and the incident took place on Thursday.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu told reporters here that the victims were a woman, her husband and her mother-in-law. The incident came to light on Friday morning.
Munna, an e-rickshaw driver, was annoyed as Surinder Kaur used to pester him about having a child and seeking treatment. He was offended as Kaur used to raise the issue in front of his wife, the officer said.
On Thursday morning, in a fit of rage, Munna attacked Kaur (aged around 70), her husband Chaman Lal (75) and her mother-in-law (aged around 90) with a hammer and bludgeoned them to death, Sidhu said.
Police said after his arrest, Munna did not show any sign of remorse. He also pleaded that his wife be arrested, as after him there was nobody to look after her, they said.
Munna has confessed to having committed the crime, the CP said.
To make the crime look like an accident, police said, Munna opened the valve of a cooking gas cylinder and lit an incense stick so that the room catches fire and all evidence is destroyed.
Police have seized a bag containing a camera and a mobile-phone belonging to one of the victims from Munna. The weapon used in the crime has also been seized, they said.
The hammer when examined under UV light had blood stains on it, police said.
The incident came to light on Friday morning when a milkman alerted neighbours about the victims' house being locked from inside and no one responding, they said. The milkman told police that no one had opened the door of the house on Thursday too.
Neighbours climbed the front wall and entered the house to find all the three members of the family dead, police said.
Surinder Kaur and Chaman Lal's four sons are working abroad, police said.
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