Dadar Resident Arrested for Stabbing 79-Year-Old Mother to Death

A 42-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stabbing his 79-year-old mother to death following a dispute inside their residence on Bhawani Shankar Road in Dadar West, police said.

The accused, identified as Edward Cruz Fernandez, initially contacted the police control room in the early hours of Tuesday in an attempt to mislead authorities. Shortly after midnight, he claimed that a fourth-floor resident of his building was assaulting his mother inside their home at the Ram and Shyam building.

When a team from the Dadar police station reached the fourth-floor apartment at around 12:30 a.m., they discovered Edward sitting in a corner holding a knife. His mother, Rezina Cruz Fernandez, was lying motionless on a mat nearby, with blood oozing from severe stab wounds on her body.

Upon being confronted by the police team at the scene, Edward confessed to killing his mother. According to police officers familiar with the matter, the accused stated that a minor argument broke out between them, after which he grabbed a knife and repeatedly stabbed the elderly woman in the chest and neck, leading to her immediate death.

Police officials noted that earlier on Monday evening, Edward had accompanied his mother to the local market, where he bought a bottle of liquor for himself.

Investigators stated that Edward had returned to Mumbai from Oman a few months ago and was currently unemployed. He frequently demanded money to purchase alcohol from his mother and sister. The suspect had a prior history of domestic violence against the victim, having been previously booked by the police after attacking his mother with a wooden plank last year when she refused to give him money for liquor.

Following his on-spot confession and the recovery of the victim's body, the Dadar police booked Edward Fernandez under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and placed him under arrest.