BHUBANESWAR/JHARSUGUDA: In a heart-wrenching incident, a 35-year-old woman allegedly hacked her two minor children to death while they were asleep and later attempted suicide at their house in Jharsuguda district over suspicion that her husband was having an extra-marital affair.
The incident occurred in Tangarpali village within Airport police limits late on Saturday night. The deceased children have been identified as 10-year-old Jigyasha and Bibhansu (5).
Soon after killing her kids, the mother Ranjita Oram allegedly attempted to end her life by slitting her throat with a vegetable cutter. She was initially taken to the district headquarters hospital in Jharsuguda and later shifted to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla. Her condition is stated to be stable.
As per police, Ranjita and her husband Sitaram Oram (43) were having frequent arguments for the last 15 to 20 days as she suspected him to be in an illicit relationship with his relative. The couple reportedly had another argument in this connection on the night of the incident.
Police said at around 11 pm on Saturday, the family had dinner together and went to sleep. However, around half-an-hour later, Ranjita woke her husband up to accompany her outside on the pretext of answering nature’s call. Just as Sitaram opened the door and stepped outside, Ranjita locked the house from the inside.
She then attacked the two kids on their head and neck with an axe while they were asleep. On hearing their screams, Sitaram alerted his elder brother who lived in the same locality. They then broke the window of the house and went inside only to find the two children lying in a pool of blood and Ranjita attempting to end life by slitting her throat with a vegetable cutter, police said.
While the couple’s 10-year-old daughter was found dead on the spot, their younger son and Ranjita were rushed to the district headquarters hospital where the boy was declared received dead. Ranjita has sustained serious injuries in her vocal cord and will undergo a surgery, police said.
Sitaram lodged a complaint against Ranjita in this connection. Jharsuguda SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra visited the crime scene along with a scientific team. “A case has been registered against the woman under section 103(1) (murder). The weapon of offence has been seized from the spot and further probe is underway. The accused will be taken into police custody as soon as she is discharged from the hospital,” said the SP.
As per sources, Sitaram works with a private organisation. Police will examine his call detail records to ascertain whether Ranjita’s claims that he was having an illicit affair are true or not.