Berhampur: A 33-year-old man was arrested for allegedly strangling his wife to death at a village in Ganjam district following a domestic dispute, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place in Pochalundi village under the Balipadar police outpost limits of Buguda police station.
The accused, Manoj Kumar Jena, a data entry operator at Belaguntha Veterinary Hospital, allegedly killed his wife Sunita at their residence on Wednesday evening. The couple had been married for around five years and had a three-year-old daughter.
According to preliminary police findings, the couple had been experiencing frequent marital discord since their marriage. Manoj, who lives in his ancestral house with his wife and daughter, reportedly told police that an argument broke out after he returned home from work, during which Sunita allegedly taunted him, triggering a heated altercation.
Police said that during the incident, the couple’s daughter was playing outside the house. In a fit of rage, Manoj allegedly used a chain lock from his motorcycle to strangle Sunita.
After the incident, he is said to have moved the body to another room and later informed Sunita’s father over the phone around 10 pm that his daughter had died.
On receiving the information, Sunita’s family rushed to the house, found her dead and alerted the police.
Balipadar outpost in-charge K. Niladri Reddy and his team reached the spot, seized the body and the alleged murder weapon, and initiated an investigation. Manoj was subsequently taken into custody and a case has been registered under relevant sections of law.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father, Narayan Nayak, has alleged that his daughter had been subjected to dowry-related harassment since her marriage and that the killing was a result of sustained abuse.
Police said further investigation is underway, including examining the allegations of dowry harassment.
