BHUBANESWAR: A 65-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by unidentified miscreants for resisting a robbery bid in her house at Jatni on the outskirts of the city on Friday night.
The deceased Shantilata Pradhan of Uparbasta village within Jatni police limits was alone at her house when the incident took place. Her son is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital for kidney-related ailment, said police.
As per police, the crime likely took place after 7 pm. One of Pradhan’s relatives went to her house and found her in an unconscious state. She was rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared her received dead. Police received information about the murder at 11 pm and visited the crime scene to investigate the matter.
“Initial investigation suggests the culprits barged into the house of Pradhan and targeted her with a blunt object when she confronted their robbery bid. She sustained head injury in the attack. A case of murder has been registered and efforts are on to identify and nab the accused,” said an officer of Jatni police station. The cops are yet to ascertain about the valuables stolen from the victim’s house.
Preliminary probe suggests one person committed the crime. However, a detailed probe is underway to find out if more people were involved and whether the motive was something else other than robbery, said the police officer.
The incident has, meanwhile, raised concerns about the safety and security of the elderly persons and women staying in Jatni area.