Couple held for widow’s murder over property dispute

Berhampur: A couple was arrested on Monday for allegedly throttling a 60-year-old widow, one of their relatives, at Ekagharikia palli under Ganjam district’s Jagannath Prasad police station limits over a property dispute on Sunday.The accused were identified as Asana Pradhan, 48, and his wife, Rangabati, 43, of the same village. The deceased, Rabati Pradhan, was murdered by the couple near the surplus canal when she was going to the canal for a bath, police said. After committing the murder, the couple tried to run towards the nearby jungle, but police caught them immediately, said Deepak Kumar Mishra, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Bhanjanagar.Preliminary investigation has revealed the property dispute was the cause of the incident, said the SDPO.After the death of her husband, the deceased was living alone in the house, while her only son was working outside the state. The couple, however, was looking after her properties, including cultivable land and houses. During the period, they allegedly took over the properties of the woman, taking advantage of her loneliness.She recently told the community committee about it. On the direction of the committee, the accused vacated the home.

They, however, did not return the other landed properties. The widow once again approached the community committee, appealing for a solution.Angry, the couple decided to kill her. They followed her when she was going to the canal on the outskirts of the village. A heated exchange of words between the deceased and accused reportedly took place before the murder, police said. While Rangabati caught the deceased, her husband throttled her to death, police said. The body of the deceased was handed over to her relatives after autopsy, police said.