New York: A 23-year-old Indian student has been arrested and charged for allegedly murdering his grandparents and uncle inside a New Jersey condominium, police and US media reports said. The South Plainfield Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office released a statement in which they accused Om Brahmbhatt of shooting Dilipkumar Brahmbhatt, 72, Bindu Brahmbhatt, 72, and Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, 38. A neighbour had reported hearing gunfire at the Traditions condo complex, prompting the police to respond to the house on Coppola Drive off New Durham Road in South Plainfield during the morning.
After arriving, officers found three people - two men and a woman - who had suffered gunshot wounds.
According to authorities, married couple Dilipkumar and Bindu Brahmbhatt were found shot to death in their second-floor flat. It was discovered that Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, their son, had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He passed away in the hospital after being admitted.
A suspect was apprehended for interrogation on the spot and subsequently charged. Om faced three counts of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm in the second degree. Om, a resident of Gujarat, lived with the victims and was discovered there when the police came.
Om had just moved to New Jersey within the past couple of months, sources said and had been living at the condo, media reported. He was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending a pre-trial detention hearing; it wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney and a listed number for him couldn't be found.
According to the complaint, the crime was committed with a handgun Om says he purchased online. Om had a seemingly calm demeanour during court appearance. Police say he was the one who called 911 that morning and when asked about who did it, officials say Om stated, "It might be me".