Dismissed Merchant Navy officer kills father, triggers cylinder blast in Delhi

In a shocking incident, a 37-year-old dismissed merchant navy sailor allegedly killed his father, attacked his neighbour and then tried to take his own life by setting off an LPG cylinder, which left 11 policemen injured, in east Delhi’s Madhu Vihar area on Sunday.

R P Matta, a retired financial sector employee, who recently came back from Canada, was stabbed to death by his son Rahul around 2.15 pm, police said.

Rahul was carrying a sharp-edged weapon and reached outside Ajanta Apartments and asked the security personnel to open the gate, but when they refused, he entered into an argument with them, they added.

A few residents of the complex reached there and Rajinder Matta was also informed.

After a heated argument that involved an attempt by Rahul to even attack the guards, Rahul managed to go upstairs to his father’s flat and slit his throat and stabbed him multiple times killing him on the spot, police said.

One of their neighbours, Renu Bansal, 51, came to the spot but she was also attacked by Rahul, who was in a fit of rage, they added.

Rahul’s mother wasn’t present at home at the time of the incident.

Rahul entered the home of their one of the neighbours V K Sharma.

“We received a call around 2.31 pm and a police team reached the spot. Rahul, in an attempt to escape, reached VK Sharma’s house and locked himself inside the kitchen and opened the LPG connection,” said a senior police officer.

Policemen managed to break open the door but seeing them, Rahul lit a matchstick setting off an explosion.

Eleven policemen were injured in the fire that broke out.

“Among those injured, four sub-inspectors sustained 30-40 per cent burn injuries, whereas two assistant sub-inspectors sustained 25 per cent burns. Rahul Matta
sustained burn injuries as well, he said.

R P Mata, a retired financial sector employee, had recently come back from Canada and was staying with wife.

He had disowned his son Rahul from his property, who has a criminal background and was arrested last year for molesting a woman in East Delhi.

Rahul was allegedly in a relationship with a woman and his father didn’t approve of it. He had asked his son to leave his home and had even not given him a share in the will, police said.

He also asked security guards of his society not to let his son enter the housing complex. He had even lodged a complaint against his son at Madhu Vihar police station. Rahul has a younger brother who stays in the United States.