Kochi | A 52-year-old man was arrested for allegedly murdering his 78-year-old mother after she refused to give him money to buy liquor at Fort Kochi, police said on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as Lakshmi (78) of Amaravathy, Fort Kochi.

According to police, the accused, Kannan, allegedly frequently quarrelled with and physically assaulted his mother whenever she refused to give him money for purchasing alcohol.

On Saturday night, he allegedly picked a fight with his mother at their house on Visalakshi Lane in Amaravathy, beat and kicked her, inflicting serious injuries that led to her death, the FIR stated.

The accused was also reportedly unhappy with his mother for handing over a domestic LPG cylinder to his brother, police said.

After the incident, relatives and neighbours rushed to her house and found her dead.

Soon, Fort Kochi police also reached the house and started an investigation.

The accused was later taken into custody, and his arrest was recorded, police said.

A case has been registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for murder.

Kannan will be produced before the court as part of the remand procedure.

The body of the deceased will be handed over to relatives after the postmortem, police added.