Pune: A 27-year-old man allegedly hacked an elderly couple to death at Panvadi village in Purandar taluka, about 40km from Pune, on Sunday evening.The accused and the deceased were neighbours and had a dispute over the accused taking his cattle past the deceased’s house to graze. Saswad police identified the deceased as Mohan Dhiwar (83) and his wife, Ratnamala (72). The accused is on the run. The police have registered a murder case against him based on a complaint lodged by the couple’s daughter.Police inspector Santosh Gholave of Saswad police said, “The accused used to live in Pune city. About two months ago, he returned to his village. He used to graze cattle. The couple had objected a few days ago to the accused taking his cattle past their house.”The dispute had since led to frequent heated arguments between them. “On Sunday, around 5.30pm, the accused and the elderly couple again had an argument. Following this, the accused attacked them with a sharp weapon. The couple sustained severe injuries in the assault and were taken to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead. The accused fled after the incident. We have formed teams to trace him,” Gholave said.
