CUTTACK: The Commissionerate Police on Wednesday arrested 42-year-old mason for the murder of a 50-year-old widow Urmila Biswal near her house at Barasingh within Barang police limits 10 days back.
Briefing mediapersons, additional DCP Anil Mishra said the accused Manoj Moharana of the village was engaged in the construction of the house of one Benudhar Sahoo adjacent to Urmila’s residence. Manoj got close to Urmila as he asked her for drinking water and inquired about her health. As Urmila remained warm with Manoj, the latter got infatuated with her and sought information on her from her son.
Aware that Urmila was alone in her house with her 90-year-old blind father-in-law as her son was on night shift work at a private company, Manoj arrived at her house with some vermilion on March 10 and proposed to her. When Urmila declined and threatened to inform the villagers, a provoked Manoj picked up a baton kept in the house and struck her head.
Urmila ran outside to save herself but Manoj chased her and overpowered her near a cowshed and killed her by crushing her head with a stone. After committing the crime, the accused hid the blood-stained baton and ransacked the cupboard of Urmila’s house to make it look like a robbery. Police have seized the blood-stained apparel of the accused and weapons of offence (the baton and stone), informed Mishra.