Police in northern India have arrested an engineer accused of murdering his parents, dismembering their bodies with a saw, and dumping the remains in a river after a family dispute escalated into violence. Authorities in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, said the suspect, identified as Ambesh, admitted to killing his mother Babita, 60, and father Shyam Bahadur, 62, on December 8 following an argument over financial support.

Investigators believe the conflict stemmed from Ambesh’s request for money to pay alimony after divorcing his wife, a marriage his parents had opposed. The case came to light when Ambesh’s sister Vandana filed a missing persons complaint on December 13, reporting that her parents had disappeared. She told police that Ambesh had earlier claimed the couple left home after a quarrel, but then switched off his phone and could not be reached.

Suspicion grew when he remained out of contact for several days before returning to Jaunpur.

According to police, Ambesh struck his mother with a heavy grinding stone during the fight.

When his father tried to intervene, he was attacked and killed.

Investigators say Ambesh then attempted to conceal the crime by cutting the bodies into six pieces, placing them in sacks, and throwing them into a river. After initially misleading officers, Ambesh confessed during questioning.

Police later recovered part of Shyam Bahadur’s remains along with the grinding stone and saw used in the killings.

A search team of divers continues to comb the river for additional body parts, said Additional Superintendent of Police Ayush Srivastava.

“As mentioned earlier, a missing persons report was filed on December 13 by Vandana Devi regarding her parents, Shyam Bahadur and Babita Devi, who had been missing since December 8,” he said.

“The report also noted that her brother, Ambesh Kumar, who was searching for them, had himself gone missing on December 12. After the case was registered, police traced and arrested Ambesh on December 15,” he added.

“During questioning, Ambesh admitted that on December 8, between 7 and 8 PM, at their home in Jafarabad, he got into an argument with his parents.

“In a fit of rage, he struck his mother on the head with an iron tool from the table.

“He confessed that he then dismembered both bodies, packed them into six cement bags, and disposed of them in the river near Belwa Ghar.

“He further revealed that he spent the night cleaning the house after committing the crime,” he concluded.