Engineering students kills parents after failing thrice in physics

A 21-year-old engineering student in Nagpur's New Khasala area near Kamptee Road committed a shocking double murder on December 26, taking the lives of both his parents over an academic disagreement. Utkarsh Dakhole, a third-year student, reportedly throttled his mother, Aruna, and later stabbed his father, Leeladhar, upon his return home.

The gruesome incident stemmed from a heated argument about Utkarsh’s repeated failure in his physics paper over three years. Frustrated with his lack of progress, his parents suggested he quit engineering and be admitted to an ITI, possibly returning to their ancestral village to take up farming. On December 25, Leeladhar, who worked at the Koradi Thermal Power Station, reportedly slapped Utkarsh during the argument, further escalating tensions.

On the day of the crime, Utkarsh took advantage of the absence of his father and sister. He first strangled his mother to death and left her body on the bed. Hours later, when his father returned home, Utkarsh fatally stabbed him. To cover up the crime, Utkarsh crafted a false narrative. He lied to his sister, claiming their parents had left for a meditation trip to Bengaluru, and ensured she stayed at a relative's house. Additionally, he penned a fake suicide note and saved it as wallpaper on his father's phone to mislead investigators.

The crime came to light only after neighbors grew suspicious due to the foul smell emanating from the decomposing bodies. Police were alerted on January 1, and Utkarsh was arrested after the discovery of the bodies. Sources say Utkarsh’s parents, particularly his mother, had relentlessly urged him to give up engineering due to his repeated failures. Utkarsh, the younger of two siblings, reportedly felt humiliated and acted in a fit of rage.