A 35-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son were murdered at their Railway Colony residence on Thursday.

The mother-son duo, identified as Ruby Verma and Harsh, died on the spot after the attackers hit them with an iron rod. The incident came to light at 4pm after which police were informed.

The attackers entered the residence, under the jurisdiction of Jakkanpur police station, and also battered Ruby’s husband Manoj Kumar Verma (45), a travelling ticket examiner. Manoj has been admitted to Rajeshwar Hospital but his condition is said to be stable.

“The one-storeyed house (quarter number AB-39) is a huge one but has small rooms. The house has been partitioned by a wall. Manoj’s elder brother Rajan Verma lives in the other part of the house with his wife and son. Manoj also has a 12-year-old daughter, Ruhi, who was not at home when the incident occurred. She had gone to school,” a police officer said.

“The motive of the murder isn’t clear at this moment. But there was no forceful entry. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory has been called to collect evidence. Manoj has no external injury. It is suspected that Manoj could have carried out the attack himself,” the officer added.

On Thursday, Manoj was at home because he had an evening shift. His brother Rajan Verma, who is also a railway employee, was on duty but his wife was at home.

“Around 1pm, Rajan’s wife went out of the house to visit a doctor. The quarter has two entrances. The main entrance was used by Manoj and his family, and the other one by Rajan’s family. Rajan’s wife had informed Ruby that she was leaving for a while. After she returned at around 3pm, she found her entrance door locked from inside,” a source said.

He added: “Rajan’s wife then went up to the front door (Manoj’s side) and found that it was not locked. However, the door was blocked. Smelling a rat she called her neighbours. After the main door was slammed open, the residents found the bloodstained bodies of Ruby and her son. Manoj, too, was lying there. He was rushed to the hospital.”

Patna city superintendent of police Jayant Kant said it would be premature to comment anything about the incident. “Everything is intact in the house, which states the motive was not robbery. A land or a property deal could have triggered the attack. The other people in the house are being questioned. Only Manoj can say what had happened at the house,” Kant said.

“The bodies of the mother and son will be sent for post-mortem. Since the quarters are close by we will question the neighbours to find out if they had heard any noise from the house. However, we are not in a position to state anything concrete right now,” the officer added.