A 55-year-old woman was stabbed to death and her 15-year-old son was found injured at their home in Burtola, in north Calcutta, on Wednesday evening.
Police said Meenakshi Bhattacharya, 55, a resident of 3A Raibagan Street, succumbed to her stab wounds, while her son Binayak has been admitted to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
“Someone stabbed the woman and also attacked her son around 7pm,” said joint commissioner, crime, Calcutta police, Shankha Shubhra Chakrabarty.
Meenakshi’s husband Susanta Bhattacharya was not at home when she and her son were attacked, the police said.
The family shares the Burtola building with their relatives.
“The son raised the alarm and rushed to his uncle’s home next door to inform him about the incident. He is in a state of trauma and has not been able to tell what exactly happened,” said an officer at Burtola police station.
The building where the Bhattacharyas live is located in a narrow, congested lane in a residential area.
“We are not ruling out the possibility of the assailant having been known to the family. Nothing has been reported missing yet,” the officer said.
The police said the victim’s husband rushed home after being informed about the attack on his wife and son. Meenakshi was declared dead at the hospital.
Cops said they were checking if there were CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood.
No one was detained or arrested till late on Wednesday.
“The motive of the murder is yet to be established. The family members have said that apparently nothing is missing from the house,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
A murder and attempt-to-murder case was registered against an unknown person at Burtola police station on Wednesday night.