Belagavi: A 67-year-old man and his daughter were allegedly hacked to death with sharp-edged weapons by their relatives inside a gram panchayat office in this district on Wednesday following a property dispute, police said.

The deceased were identified as Rudrappa Kundaragi, a former soldier and native of Avaradi who was residing in Dharwad, and his 26-year-old daughter Shashikala Kundaragi, they said.

The incident occurred at Avaradi village in Kittur taluk, police said.

Rudrappa’s car driver was also attacked during the incident and sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, they added.

According to police, Rudrappa had gone to the gram panchayat office in connection with land-related documentation when his brothers Basappa Kundaragi and Sangappa Kundaragi, along with his nephew Madivalappa Kundaragi, allegedly attacked him with sharp-edged weapons.

When Shashikala intervened in an attempt to save her father, she too was allegedly attacked and killed, police said.

The incident is suspected to have stemmed from a long-standing dispute among the family members over the division of ancestral property.

Police said a court had ordered the division of 38 guntas of land among three family members.

Rudrappa had allegedly sold the portion allotted to him but later sought a share in the remaining property as well, which reportedly led to continued friction among the brothers.

The accused allegedly fled the scene after the attack, police said.

Personnel from Kittur police station, along with Scene of Crime Officers and Forensic Science Laboratory teams, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Belagavi Superintendent of Police K Ramrajan visited the scene and obtained details from the local police. A search operation has been launched to trace the accused, and further investigation is underway.

The bodies were shifted to the taluk hospital for post-mortem examination.