A 45-year-old man was arrested from his house at Avalur village near Kaveripakkam town in Ranipet on Thursday for killing his father over a property dispute.

Police said the arrested person was identified as M. Vinayakam, a mason. He was unmarried and was living with his father and victim G. Munusamy, 65, and stepmother M. Vijaya, 58, in the house for many years. Initial inquiry revealed that Vinayakam has been not had a job for the past few months. Since then, he was quarreling with his father Munusamy to transfer the ancestral property of four acres to him. The land is under cultivation by Munusamy, who was also doing matrimonial work on commission basis to supplement his income from farming.
 
Along with Vijaya, Munusamy was doing farm work in his ancestral land in the village when Vinayakam quarreld again with him. Munusamy refused to transfer the property to him as he wanted his son to go for work regularly and settle in life.
 
Angered over refusal of property, police said that Vinayakam hit his father and step mother with a wooden log. As they cried for help, neighbours rushed to the spot and shifted them to Government Taluk Hospital in Walajah town where doctors declared that Munusamy was dead on arrival. A case was registered by Walajah police, who later arrested Vinayakam. A probe is underway.