A youth from a tea estate in Alipurduar’s Birpara allegedly bludgeoned to death his mother and his cousin early on Sunday.

Police recovered the bodies and arrested Ram Singh, 33, of Bundapani tea estate.

Singh, jobless and a habitual drunk, allegedly killed his mother Rukmini, 60, and his cousin Rita, 35, with an iron rod.

Police came to know Singh regularly fought with Rukmini over the quarters where the two stayed.

“He wanted to grab the quarters allotted in his mother’s name as she was a tea garden worker,” said a source.

But the trigger for the murders was different. On Saturday, his widowed cousin Rita, her three-year-old daughter and father Shubhnath came visiting. Around 1.30am, a drunken Singh allegedly passed a lewd comment at Rita at which Rukmini protested.

An angry Singh allegedly beat to death both women with an iron rod and dumped the bodies in front of the quarters with Rita’s child, and went to sleep in his room.

Neighbours and spotted the bodies and the child. They took away the child, locked Singh’s room from outside and informed police.

“The suspected murder weapon has been found. The accused will be produced in court on Monday,” said Y. Raghuvamshi, SP, Alipurduar.

Rita’s father Shubhnath, who had gone to sleep at a neighbour’s house, said he wanted exemplary punishment for Singh.