Bengal youth hacks 84-year-old man to death for refusing money for drugs

An 84-year-old man was hacked to death in West Bengal's Purba Barddhaman district for allegedly refusing money to one of his acquaintance's son for buying drugs, police said on Sunday.

The accused was arrested and produced before a court on Saturday, which sent him to judicial custody till July 30, they said.

The incident took place in Tejganj area of Barddhaman town on July 2 when accused Ronit Dutta, a college student, visited the residence of deceased Gorachand Dutta and demanded money for buying drugs, a police officer said.

Preliminary investigation has found that when the elderly person refused to give him money, the accused allegedly hacked him to death with a sharp weapon and fled the spot with the deceased's mobile phone, he said.

The accused was traced and arrested after an intense search, the officer said, adding that his family members had sent him to a drug rehabilitation centre after the incident.

The deceased used to buy milk from the accused's family and had good relations with his parents. He had visited Ronit Dutta's neighbour on the day of the incident, the officer added.