NUAPADA: A 45-year-old woman was shot dead by a miscreant while trying to save her husband during an extortion bid at Thutibara village within Komna police limits here on Wednesday night.The deceased was identified as Kumudini Sabar. Kumudini was the wife of Sarat Sahu, a farmer of Thutibara. The accused, Nilambar Suna of the same village, is on the run after committing the crime.
Sources said Sarat was sleeping when the accused reached his house at around 11 pm and demanded Rs 10,000 from him. When Sarat refused to pay the money, Nilambar took out a country-made pistol and threatened him.
On hearing the commotion, Kumudini, who was in another room, went to check on her husband. She tried to control the situation but the accused started to abuse the couple. In a fit of rage, Nilambar opened two rounds of fire at Sarat. In a bid to save her husband, Kumudini threw herself in front of Sarat and was hit by one of the bullets. The accused was reportedly in an inebriated state when he committed the crime.
While Nilambar fled from the spot, Kumudini sustained injuries on her abdomen. She succumbed to the gunshot injury before she could be taken to the hospital. On being informed, police reached the spot and seized her body for autopsy.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Nuapada Prasant Patnaik said, “We have registered a case on the basis of the statement given by the deceased’s husband. The woman’s body will be handed over to the family after postmortem. Efforts are underway to nab the accused and find the weapon used in the crime. Further investigation is underway.” Police said the accused was previously booked in a murder case and even spent some time in the jail. He also has several criminal cases pending against him.