Koraput: A day after the bodies of a woman and her teenage son were recovered were recovered from separate canals in Borigumma area Odisha’s Koraput district, police on Wednesday arrested four persons in connection with the double murder.
Police said the arrested persons included the boyfriend of the deceased woman’s daughter. He was identified as P Adi Narayan Rao.
The victims, Anushka Parida (45) and her son Eham Parida (14), had been missing since February 20 and their bodies were recovered in sacks from separate canals in Koraput district.
The arrested have been identified as Preet Nayak (19), P. Adi Narayan Rao (21) of Dasiri Sahi village, Adi Narayan Panigrahi (19) of Bijapur village, and Jagannath Jani (20) of Kamta village. All four are residents of Borigumma area in the district.
Sources said Eham’s body was recovered Andaramunda canal under Kotpad police limits, while his mother’s body was found on Tuesday in Jayantigiri main canal under the jurisdiction of Borigumma police station.
The incident came to light after Anushka’s brother, Satyaban Patra (42), lodged a complaint at Borigumma police station on February 23 after his
sister and nephew went missing. Following the complaint, police launched an investigation.
During the probe, police arrested P. Adi Narayan Rao, boyfriend of the deceased’s daughter, and his associate Preet Nayak. Based on information obtained from the two during interrogation, the bodies of Anushka and Eham were recovered.
According to Koraput SP Rohit Varma, a case related to the victim family was registered on December 25 last year, when Anushka alleged that her daughter had been kidnapped. During court proceedings, the girl denied the claim and Rao was released. Anushka later moved her daughter to another place. Despite the woman’s opposition, Rao maintained contact with her daughter.
In a fresh development, Rao took Anushka’s daughter to Jagannath Jani’s house on February 13without her mother’s knowledge. On February 15, they held a birthday celebration, a photo of which was shared on social media. When the daughter’s aunt saw the post, she informed Anushka, who went to Jagannath’s house and brought her daughter back. Angry over this, Rao allegedly hatched a conspiracy against Anushka with others.
On the night of February 18, Rao and Preet entered the house of Anushka and killed both. The murder weapon and the vehicle used to transport the bodies have been seized, the SP said. Adi Narayan Panigrahi and Jagannath Jani, who allegedly assisted in the crime, were also arrested.
The minor daughter of the deceased has been taken into custody and will be produced before the PMJJB court in Jeypore. Further investigation is in progress.