Balikuda: In a gruesome incident, a man allegedly hacked his father and stepmother to death reportedly over a property dispute in Teratanga village under Balikuda police limits in Jagatsinghpur district when Odisha was celebrating Pahili Raja, police said Sunday.
The accused was identified as Dillip Parida and the victims, his father Satyananda Parida, 65, and stepmother, Charulata Parida, 50. According to police, Satyananda had remarried af ter the death of his first wife. Dillip, along with his wife and their 5-year-old son, was staying with Satyananda and Charulata.
Tension brewed between the father-son duo when Satyananda sold a portion of his land and gave the proceeds from the sale to his second wife’s sister. This angered Dil lip as he wanted money to start a business venture. When Dil lip confronted his father about this, the latter told him that he is free to do so as it is his property, said the police.
Dillip has confessed before the police that anger over the sale of the property prompted him to kill Satyananda and Charulata. Investigators said Dillip had repeatedly demanded that the remaining property be trans ferred to him. When his father refused, he hatched a plot to eliminate his father and stepmother.
As part of the plan, he purchased a chopper Saturday and sent his wife and son to his in-laws’ house on the pretext of Raja celebrations. Police said the attack took place around 2:30 pm Sunday. Satyananda was allegedly struck from behind near the staircase of the house veranda. Hearing his cries, Charulata rushed to help Satyananda but was also attacked. Both sustained fatal neck injuries. While Satyananda died at the spot, Charulata managed to reach the front gate before collapsing.
She also died at the scene. Instead of fleeing, Dillip allegedly remained seated near the bodies with the sharp weapon. Villagers alerted emergency responders, who detained him and handed him over to the police.
Police arrested Dillip and seized the weapon. A forensic team examined the crime scene, while Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Verma and other senior officers supervised the investigation. Balikuda IIC Kabuli Barik said preliminary findings indicate the accused became enraged after learning about the land transaction.
