BHUBANESWAR: A man stabbed his friend, who was a married woman, to death and later attempted suicide at her home in Bhimatangi area here on Monday. He was also allegedly planning to kill the woman’s three-year-old son. Fortunately, he was not present at home at the time of the murder. The man has been identified by police as Jagannath Pradhan (34), while the deceased is Priyanka Priyadarsini Sahoo (32).
Pradhan, who consumed poison and slashed his veins after killing Priyanka, was rushed to the Capital Hospital in a critical condition. The motive of the attack is yet to be ascertained.
The incident occurred when Priyanka’s husband, Rakesh, who works in a private company here, was away from home. Priyanka was all by herself as her three-year-old son had gone to their landlord’s flat on the first floor when Pradhan visited her around 11am.
Rakesh said he received a call on his WhatsApp number from an unknown number. The caller told him about his wife’s murder following which Rakesh immediately called his houseowner to check, the police said.
“The door was locked from inside. We broke open the door and found the woman and the accused lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Rakesh immediately reached home and informed the police,” the house owner said, requesting anonymity.
The police said Pradhan, who runs a roadside eatery in Jajpur, killed the woman following an altercation. The deceased and the accused belonged to Jajpur district and knew each other, but their relationship had become strained recently, they added.
“Pradhan had hatched a proper plan to kill the woman and her child. We have seized a note written by Pradhan where he has written he wanted to kill Priyanka and her son. But he did not mention the reason for his anger. Luckily, the child was saved as he had gone upstairs to the landlord’s flat when the murder took place,” deputy commissioner of police Uma Shankar Dash said.
He added, “Pradhan first attacked the woman with a sharp weapon. He then consumed poison and slashed his hands. He is stable. His statement has been recorded. He had confessed to the crime.”
The couple, who was married around seven years ago, had been staying on rent here for the last three years. The house owner and the neighbours’ expressed ignorance about Pradhan. “Neither did we know the man, nor did we ever see him at their house. We were not present at home on Sunday. We returned on Monday morning and took our home’s keys from Priyanka. That time the man (Pradhan) was not present in her home.”
