Lanjigarh: In a broad daylight crime, miscreants barged into the house of a grocer and bludgeoned his wife to death before decamping with jewellery and cash worth lakhs of rupees at Biswanathpur under this block in Kalahandi district Monday.
The victim Geetanjali Patra (50), wife of S Narayan Patra, was found lying dead in a pool of blood when the police arrived at the spot. The incident occurred when Narayan and his son Chandrasekhar were at their shop while Geetanjali was alone at home.The gruesome murder has spread shockwaves in the area. With the area witnessing a sharp rise in thefts and robberies over the past few months, people have questioned the efficacy of the policing system.
The matter came to the fore, when Narayan came home for lunch and was shocked to find his wife lying dead. Chandrasekhar lost his sense on seeing his dead mother and was rushed to the local hospital. He was later shifted to the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna due to lack of oxygen at the local hospital. The ambulance ferrying him to Bhawanipatna also did not have oxygen cylinder.
A police team led by SP Brijesh Ray and comprising sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Jagamohan Meena, Lanjigarh IIC Rajendra Kumar Dehuri, Narla IIC Ullas Majhi and Biswanthpur OIC Srinivas Sethy reached the spot and started a probe. A forensic team was also pressed into service. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the victim had put up a fight with the miscreants before being killed. Later, the miscreants broke open two steel almirahs and made away with the jewellery and cash, it was learnt.
However, locals have questioned as to how the miscreants could avoid being seen by others and enter the house which is situated on the main road of the town and at a distance of only 600 mtr from Biswanathpur police station.
The SP refused to comment on the issue till the probe gets completed. Sniffer dogs will soon be pressed into service to trace the culprits, the SP said. PNN