Paralakhemundi: A man allegedly killed his wife by slitting her throat and bludgeoning her with a stone over suspicion of an extramarital affair in the early hours of Monday at Gaiba village under Seranga police limits in Gajapati district.
The deceased was identified as Monika Paika, wife of the accused Narendra Paika of Keredanga village in Nuagarh block of Gajapati.
After committing the murder, Narendra fled with Monika’s gold ‘mangalsutra’, police said. On being informed, Seranga police, along with a scientific team, reached the spot and launched an investigation.
A case was registered and the body was sent for post-mortem. A manhunt is underway to apprehend the accused, Seranga IIC Pramod Khandual said.
According to reports, Narendra married Monika in a traditional ceremony in 2019. After their wedding, the couple settled in Gaiba village where Narendra opened a grocery shop. However, two years ago, he moved to Hyderabad to work at a private firm due to financial constraints.
Recently, Narendra returned from Hyderabad and took his wife and daughter to his native village for the Thakurani Yatra festival. After the festival, the family returned to Monika’s parental home.
Sources said that Narendra had grown increasingly suspicious of Monika’s fidelity and urged her to return with him to their native village. The couple reportedly had frequent arguments over the issue. However, Monika chose to stay back. The incident occurred when Monika’s mother had gone out to bathe and her father had taken their daughter to another village, leaving the couple alone in the house. Taking advantage of the situation, Narendra murdered Monika and fled the scene.
As he was escaping with her ‘mangalsutra’, he was spotted by his mother-in-law, who had just returned. She found her daughter lying in a pool of blood and raised an alarm. Villagers searched the area but failed to locate the accused.
PNN
