Deogarh: In a horrific incident that has left a village in shock, a 52-year-old man allegedly bludgeoned his wife, daughter-in-law, and young granddaughter to death with a hammer late Wednesday night in Odisha’s Deogarh district.
According to sources, the accused, identified as Ramesh Garia, reportedly got into a heated argument with his wife, Gul Garia (42), at their home in Gariapali village under Kundheigola police limits. As he turned violent, his wife rushed to her daughter-in-law Lipi Mahakul’s room to escape his wrath. Ramesh allegedly followed her and attacked all three victims, Gul, Lipi, and his 4-to-6-year-old granddaughter, striking them repeatedly on the head with a hammer, leading to their immediate deaths.
Ramesh’s son, Dhiren Garia, a driver by profession, was away from home at the time. Upon returning late that night, he found the bodies and informed Kundheigola police.
Police rushed to the scene, recovered the bodies, and sent them for postmortem. A manhunt has been launched for Ramesh, who fled the area immediately after the crime. While neighbours and villagers are being questioned to reconstruct the sequence of events, houses of his relatives and surrounding areas are being searched as part of the ongoing investigation. It is being suspected that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the assault.
“A family dispute is believed to be the main reason behind the incident,” a police officer said.
