Sambalpur: Sadar Police in Sambalpur district on Thursday solved the shocking double murder case involving an elderly woman and her daughter with the arrest of two individuals.
The victims, 90-year-old Snehalata Dixit and her 62-year-old daughter Sourendri Dixit were found charred to death at their residence in Maneswar Hatpada under Sadar police limits late Tuesday night.
The accused identified as Snehalata’s son Jagannath Dixit and her grandson Sanket initially murdered the mother-daughter duo and then set their bodies on fire to disguise the crime as a fire accident.
Snehalata’s son Jagannath and his son Sanket Dixit meticulously planned and executed the murder. They suffocated and murdered Snehalata and her daughter while they were at home. Then, to make it look like an accident, they opened the gas cylinder and set the house on fire, according to police sources.
Snehalata had four daughters and a son. Three of her daughters were married and living elsewhere. Snehalata used to live with her unmarried daughter Sourendri who was a retired teacher. Snehalata and Sourendri resided on the upper floor of their residential building while Snehalata’s son Jagannath and his family lived on the ground floor of the same building, sources said.
Following Snehalata’s death, family members doubted Jagannath as the prime suspect and the motive behind the crime was allegedly a long-standing property dispute.
Under scrutiny, police arrested Jagannath and his son, who later confessed to the heinous crime during interrogation.