BARIPADA: A 50-year-old man allegedly hanged himself after killing his wife over a family dispute in Mayurbhanj's Baripada Sadar area on Wednesday night. The couple was identified as Umakanta Patra and his wife Sabuni (43).
The incident took place while their son Ranjan had gone to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRM MCH) to meet a relative admitted there. When Ranjan returned home on Thursday morning, he found the door of their house locked from inside.
When his parents did not answer his calls despite repeated attempts, he broke open the door only to find Umakanta hanging and his mother Sabuni lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Ranjan then immediately informed the local police.
“Umakanta most likely hacked Sabuni to death with a spade before hanging himself. The weapon has been seized and the duo’s body sent to PRM MCH for postmortem,” informed sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Baripada Prakash James Toppo adding, further investigation is underway.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)