Mom, son & neighbour hacked to death in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: A woman, her child and their elderly neighbour were hacked to death by unidentified assailants in Kalahandi district on Sunday, police said.

Junagarh police recovered the bodies of Raimathi Majhi (35), her son Shiba Shakti (2) and their neighbour Mahendra Kumar (60) with deep cut marks on their hands and necks from an isolated road in Sankarpala village.

"We are trying to identify the accused and find out the motive behind the triple murder. Forensic teams have been engaged to look for clues. Villagers are being questioned," deputy inspector general (south western range) Charan Singh Meena told TOI.

Kalahandi SP Abilash G said Raimathi's husband Braja Majhi is a murder convict and was sentenced to life imprisonment recently. "We have formed special teams to investigate the case," Abilash said.

Police said two villagers who went to relieve themselves in a nearby forest towards Dunda hill spotted the bodies. Police did not disclose if they have found the murder weapon from the spot.

Locals said previous enmity might have been the cause of the killings. "Police should probe whether the triple murder was a fallout of Braja's criminal past," a villager said.