A spine-chilling incident of familial violence has rocked Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, where a 16-year-old boy allegedly hacked his brother, sister-in-law and nephew aged 3 to death in the early hours of Monday, over a dispute, the police said.

The horrific crime, according to police, took place at around 3 am, which allegedly stemmed from an ongoing family dispute. The police have detained the juvenile and are persevering in efforts to ascertain the circumstances which led to the gruesome murders.

Victims attacked while asleep

Preliminary findings by the police suggest that the teenager allegedly attacked the trio with a sharp-edged weapon while they were asleep in their room. The ones who were murdered have been identified as Amit, his wife Ranjana and their son Reyan (3). When the incident unfolded, the parents of the accused were sleeping in a separate room within the house.

The cops said the attack came to light when the father of the accused heard screams and rushed to the room. Upon entering the room, he witnessed a harrowing scene, as his elder son, daughter-in-law and grandson were lying in a pool of blood.

The father also claimed he saw his younger son exiting the room while carrying the weapon used in the murder. He immediately alerted neighbours and alerted the police thereafter.

Police detain accused, recover weapon

Senior police officials rushed to the house and began a comprehensive probe. They subsequently detained the teenager from an upstairs room of the house and also recovered a blood-stained sharp-edged weapon believed to have been used in the attack.

Forensic teams and police examined the crime scene, collected physical evidence and recorded statements from the family members and locals to piece together the sequence of events.

Business and property dispute under scanner

While the exact motive behind the crime is still being probed, preliminary inquiries point towards tensions over a family-run shop. Officials are exploring whether disagreements related to business had escalated in recent months and may have contributed to the alleged crime. A case has been registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the father of the accused, and police said all aspects of the case are being examined.

Bodies sent for post-mortem

The bodies of the trio were sent for post-mortem, and its reports are awaited to establish the nature and the timing of the attack. Meanwhile, the juvenile is being interrogated at present.