Bengaluru/Bhubaneswar: A couple from Odisha was found dead in their rented house at Kallubalu village under Jigani area on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The deceased were identified as Rakesh Patra (25) of Deuldiha village and his wife Seema Nayak (23) of Siriya Bahal village under Telkoi block of Keonjhar district. The incident came to light on Monday.
Sources said Rakesh married Seema four years ago and the couple shifted to Bengaluru soon after. They were living in a rented house in Kallubalu village along with a friend and employed in a private company.
While the couple did not respond to calls for two days, a foul smell started emanating from their house. Suspecting foul play, neighbours, who also work in the same company, broke the window glass of their house and found Seema hanging and Rakesh lying on the ground, police said.
Preliminary investigation indicated that after consuming alcohol, Rakesh and Seema used to have arguments frequently over money. On last Friday, their friend went to another acquaintance’s house after the couple had a heated argument. The same night, the duo reportedly fought over something again before going to sleep.
It is suspected that Rakesh hanged himself from the ceiling fan with a dupatta and Seema woke up later in the night to witness the scene. She was suspected to have cut the dupatta to save him. Finding him dead, she used the same dupatta to hang herself, police said.
The bodies were sent for postmortem. The exact reason for their extreme step is yet to be known. But it is suspected that a quarrel over financial issues led Rakesh to take the extreme step. A case of unnatural death has been registered and further investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, Rakesh’s family has appealed to the Keonjhar district administration to bring back the couple’s bodies to their village citing financial constraints.
Community development officer of Keonjhar Purna Chandra Naik was quoted by TNIE as saying that the district labour office has been contacted in this regard. Necessary steps will be taken after receiving instructions from the Labour department.
