Salem

The deceased were identified as a 75-year-old farm labourer and his wife. They were stuck inside as the door was locked from outside. The neighbours could not rescue the elderly couple due to the raging fire.

The minor set the house on fire around 2.30 am when everyone was asleep. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the boy resorted to the murderous step after his grandparents compared him to his cousins and spoke greatly of them.

“As they repeatedly spoke bad of him, the boy developed a grudge against them. He is not known to have any bad habits,” said M Sree Abhinav, Superintendent of Police, Salem district. He was upset with his grandparents who constantly chided him for petty issues.

In a frantic attempt to rescue the couple, the neighbours did everything possible from pouring water to dumping sand to douse the raging fire, but none of the efforts succeeded.

Soon after, the fire and rescue personnel arrived and broke into the house to find the husband dead and the woman struggling for life. She was rushed to a government hospital but succumbed to injuries on the way. SP Sree Abhinav and other officials visited the scene and held inquiries. The Attur police have registered a case and arrested the boy.