A 39-year-old mother of three from Russia has been charged with burning her disabled elderly mother-in-law after she threw the 73-year-old in a bath of scalding water due to an argument.

According to the local press, the 39-year-old is the main caregiver of her mother-in-law. After an argument with her physically disabled mother-in-law, the daughter-in-law allegedly put the elderly woman in the bathtub and cranked up the hot water tap.

The woman is accused of locking the door from the bathtub as the elderly grandmother cried and screamed as the hot water boiled her alive. By the time the elderly woman was pulled out of the water, 50 per cent of her body was covered in severe burns.

The local press reported: “Her grandchildren heard her cries but could not help because they were too little. Some time later the daughter-in-law stopped the hot water and dragged the older woman out of the bath.”

The elderly woman’s son immediately called an ambulance once he returned home. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, the 73-year-old grandmother died at the hospital.

Her daughter-in-law has now been charged with causing grave health damage leading to death, and faces a maximum 15 years jail sentence, if convicted.