Elderly woman, daughter killed in Sambalpur

Sambalpur: A 65-year-old woman and her 35-year-old daughter were hacked to death allegedly by their neighbour at Giripali under Sasan police station in Sambalpur in the early hours of Monday.

According to police, accused Ajay Pradhan allegedly attacked Urmila Patra and her daughter Lilima Joda, with a sharp weapon while they were sleeping outside their house.

Sambalpur additional SP Shrimanta Barik said the accused committed the crime around 1 am and later informed the police himself about the incident over the phone. Police reached the spot, detained the accused and subsequently arrested him. He was produced before a court on Monday. Preliminary investigation suggests that the double murder was the result of previous enmity, police said.

Family members said Urmila and her daughter were alone at home as her two sons and their wives had gone to attend a wedding on Sunday night. Police informed the victims' family members about the tragedy around 3am.

A scientific team and police, led by Sambalpur additional SP, visited the crime scene and launched a detailed investigation.

Meanwhile, the accused's wife, Yashoda Pradhan, said that relations between the two families had always been cordial.