In a shocking incident, a son killed his parents and caused a gas cylinder explosion in Ajanta housing society in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi on Sunday. 13 people were also injured including policemen due to the cylinder blast.

According to the officials, Rahul Mata is a former merchant navy sailor. He allegedly stabbed his father RP Mata 36 times inside his flat. His father is a retired financial sector employee. When his mother, Renu Mehta tried to save her husband, Rahul attacked her with the same knife.

As soon as the security guard and neighbours heard the screams from the fourth floor of the apartment, they immediately rushed to the spot. They tried to open the door but Rahul threatened his parents.

After police arrived, the accused locked himself in the kitchen. He then set the cooking gas cylinder on fire. This led to an explosion injuring13 people.

"As soon as the police team reached his flat, Rahul locked himself in the kitchen and opened the cylinder's knob to release the gas. He set the cylinder on fire when the police team tried to break open the door," Deputy Commissioner of Police Omvir Singh told the IANS news agency.

"Despite their injuries, my officers acted bravely and overpowered him. Had they (the policemen) not caught him, he would have killed other persons," the official said.

Rahul Matta tried to kill his father after his father advertised in a newspaper that he has disowned his son.

“The deceased father, identified as RP Matta, a retired finance sector employee, had recently come back from Canada and had disowned his son Rahul. He had also got his son banned from entering the society where he lived,” a police officer was quoted as saying.

He added that "Rahul Matta had a criminal history and had been arrested in 2016 for molesting a woman in Delhi."

The police officer said that "the tension in the family began nine months ago when Rahul married Renu, a divorcee with two children. RP Matta objected to the marriage, asked his son to leave his house and kept him out of the property will."

Later, RP Matta also lodged a complaint against his son at the Madhu Vihar Police station for creating a ruckus outside his house.

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BY M. DIVYA SRI