Dhenkanal: A 21-year-old caretaker, Deepak Bishwal, has been arrested for allegedly strangling his 73-year-old employer, Girish Kumar Rout, to death at Rameswarpur in Odisha’s Dhenkanal on February 28.
The death of the elderly was initially perceived as an accidental fall from bed as was recounted by Biswal. However, during a detailed interrogation, he broke down and confessed to the crime.
According to police, the motive behind the murder was Biswal’s grudge towards Rout. He was reportedly frustrated by the constant scolding and harsh treatment he received from the elderly man. “On Friday night, Rout was alone as his family members were away to attend a relative’s wedding. Biswal had been looking for an opportunity to avenge the elderly man’s alleged mistreatment. He strangled the victim to death with a piece of cloth after a brief struggle,” Dhenkanal SP Abhinav Sonkar told the media.
To conceal the crime and prove that he was innocent, the accused took the elderly man to hospital, where he was declared brought dead. He then contacted Rout’s family, claiming that the death resulted from an accidental fall from bed. However, marks around Rout’s neck raised suspicion and the head injury was also inconsistent with an accidental fall. “A post-mortem examination revealed marks on the victim’s neck, confirming that the cause of death was strangulation,” the SP added.
