CUTTACK: Police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly strangulating his live-in partner to death following a quarrel inside a jungle under Gurudijhatia police limits.
The incident had occurred on August 14. The accused Balaram Pradhan of Malipada under Khurda’s Jankia police limits was arrested on Monday. The deceased is Geeta Pradhan (36) of Dampatipur under Gurudijhatia police station limits.
Police sources said Geeta, who was a widow, earned her living by working as a domestic help in the nearby locality while often seeking alms to make ends meet and sustain her four children. However, as she failed to maintain her family, Geeta started working as a labourer under a contractor in Tangi’s Kadei locality for the last one year, where she met Balaram who also worked there.
They soon developed a relationship and moved in together in Dampatipur six months back where they earned their living by working as cowherds, said police.
“On August 14, the duo had gone to the Dandapadia jungle to graze the cattle when an argument broke out between them. In a fit of rage, Balaram hit Geeta on her head with a stick following which she fell down unconscious. He then strangulated her to death and returned to the village by abandoning her body in the jungle,” said a senior police officer.
The next day, he went to collect money from the villagers for his work when the latter asked about Geeta. As he failed to give a satisfactory response, the villagers raised suspicion and informed the matter to police.
Balaram was detained on Sunday. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and took the police to the spot where he had abandoned Geeta’s body. Subsequently, police arrested him on Monday. “The deceased’s body has been sent for postmortem to Athagarh sub-divisional hospital and the accused forwarded to court on Tuesday,” said the police officer.
