Keonjhar: Police have intensified their investigation into the triple murder over an alleged property dispute at Nialijharan village under Ghashipura police limits in Odisha’s Keonjhar district.
Investigators are likely to carry out a crime scene reconstruction on Tuesday as part of the ongoing probe.
Three members of a family – Jitendra Soren (45), his wife Malati Soren (35), and their daughter Sasmita Soren (15) – were allegedly hacked to death by relatives on Sunday evening. While preliminary investigations point to a long-standing land dispute, police have arrested Jitendra’s brother Lakshman Soren in connection with the killings. Two other relatives – Baidyanath Soren and his son Sudam Soren – have been detained for questioning.
According to poli
ce, Jitendra Soren worked as a driver and had three daughters and one son. His eldest daughter, who is married, had returned to her parental home for the Makar festival at the time of the tragedy.
The younger daughter, who survived the attack, provided a harrowing eyewitness account of the incident, which she attributed to a land dispute. She recounted returning home with her sister after collecting firewood to find relatives Baidyanath Soren and his son Sudam Soren arguing with her father. The discussion escalated into violence, with the accused allegedly attacking Jitendra with an axe. When the elder sister intervened, she was struck first, followed by the mother and then the father. All three died on the spot.
The two younger daughters managed to escape during the incident and were unharmed.
On Monday, a forensic team from Keonjhar visited the crime scene for a thorough examination, collecting multiple pieces of evidence and material clues. The bodies were sent to Anandapur hospital for post-mortem, and later handed over to relatives for last rites.
Police said all angles, including the alleged land dispute, are being thoroughly investigated.