Thakurmunda: A man was bludgeoned to death by a couple after the former made a rape attempt on the wife in Thakurmunda area of Mayurbhanj district. The couple was arrested and produced in a court Tuesday.
The matter came to fore Sunday when a body was recovered from a pond at Panaposi in Jarak panchayat. The deceased was identified as Hadibandhu Mahakud of Banamunda. The body had injury marks on the neck and face.
Police suspected it to be case of murder and started an investigation. As Mahuladiha IIC Krushnachandra Jani and other police officials along with a sniffer dog intensified the probe Monday, Pandu Ho of Panposi surrendered before the police and confessed to his crime.
Pandu told the police that he and his wife Sukanti had gone to Haresahi to drink ‘handia’ Saturday. Sukanti was returning home to serve food to her mother-in-law at about 2 pm when Handibandhu made an attempt to rape her in a forest. As she screamed for help, Pandu rushed to the spot and the accused fled the spot.
At night, Pandu reached Hadibandhu’s house, but the latter allegedly tried to attack the former with an axe. Pandu snatched away the axe from Hadibandhu and took him home on the assurance of settling the matter amicably.
The couple offered ‘handia’ laced with another intoxicant to Hadibandhu, who fell asleep after having the drink. At midnight, the couple bludgeoned Hadibandhu to death with a stone and dumped the body in the pond. PNN