Bhubaneswar: A retired government employee allegedly slit his wife’s throat in a gruesome incident in the Sundarpada area under Airfield Police Station limits in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, with preliminary suspicion pointing to mental distress as a possible motive, police said.
The accused, identified as Debaray Sarangi, has been taken into police custody. The victim, Priyambada, was found lying in a pool of blood inside their residence. Police rushed to the spot upon receiving information, seized the body, and sent it for post-mortem examination.
A scientific team also visited the scene and carried out a detailed forensic inspection as part of the ongoing investigation.
According to sources, Sarangi had retired two years ago from the Accountant General’s (AG) office, where he worked as a Senior Assistant. After retirement, he had constructed a new house in the Sundarpada locality. The couple’s only daughter is married and resides separately.
Family members revealed that Sarangi had been suffering from ill health and had gradually slipped into depression after his retirement. Priyambada had reportedly informed her sister, who lives nearby, about his deteriorating mental condition.
On Tuesday, she had again spoken to her sister about the issue but requested her not to disclose it to others. On Wednesday morning, around 11 am, the sister visited the house carrying flour, only to find a police vehicle parked outside. Upon entering, she discovered Priyambada’s body, while police had already begun their investigation.
In a sequence of events that has raised further questions, Sarangi had spoken to his daughter earlier in the day and asked her to recharge her mother’s phone. Around noon, he visited his daughter at her residence in Patrapada and handed over his wife’s gold jewellery and cash.
About an hour later, the daughter received a call from the police informing her about her mother’s death. She rushed to the spot and broke down, stating that her father had been battling depression.
Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the crime.
