Man attempts to set parents a fire

• Grisly incident happens near Vijayawada
• Increase in value of land post-bifurcation leads to two sons fighting for a share with their father
• Eldest son calls them out and sets them on fire

Vijayawada: In a bizarre incident, a son on Tuesday attempted to burn his father and stepmother alive by dousing them with petrol at Ibrahimpatnam, near here.

According to police, Juluri Hanumanta Rao (75), a farmer, has two sons and three daughters. He married Rama Devi (45) after his first wife died of old age. His sons had never looked after him nor had they taken care of their mother when she was alive. The sons, Juluri Madhava Rao (54) and Subba Rao (52), are small-time traders. They tried to get into good books of their father on knowing that the value of two-acre plot his father possessed had increased multi-fold after bifurcation of the State. The land value, which was between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh, has now suddenly gone up to Rs 2 crore.

Though the sons tried to inveigle themselves into the affection of their father, the latter refused to give share in the property to them because they had never taken care of him. Provoked by adamant attitude of their father, the sons filed a civil suit, saying that they were entitled to share in their father’s property. The civil case is still pending in the court.

On Tuesday after, eldest son Madhava Rao went to the house of his father, called him out and set Hanumantha Rao on fire after dousing him with petrol. He also set Ramadevi afire after pouring petrol on her.

While Hanumantha Rao escaped with burns, Rama Devi suffered severe burns. She is hovering between life and death in a private hospital.