Bhubaneswar: A 76-year-old woman was found murdered at Buddhanagar under Laxmisagar police station limits in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
The victim has been identified as Kunjalata Nanda.
Her family has accused her caretaker of killing her after tying her hands and legs and escaping with valuables.
As per the family members, around 40-50 grams of gold jewellery, Rs 60,000 cash and a scooter are missing from the house. The deceased’s daughter and son-in-law alleged that the murder and loot could have been executed in a planned way with involvement of more than one person.
The caretaker, Balabhadra Maharana, a native of Tangi, had been living with the elderly woman for the last four months. Kunjalata was staying alone as her children live elsewhere.
The matter came to light in the morning when tenants staying on the ground floor told Kunjalata’s daughter that she was not responding despite repeated knocks. Her son-in-law rushed to the house but found it locked from outside. In presence of police, the door was broken open and Kunjalata was found lying in a pool of blood.
It is learnt that the caretaker has been absconding since the incident, which has strengthened suspicion about his role in the murder and robbery.
Police have launched a probe and are scanning CCTV footage in the area to trace those involved.
Meanwhile, the body has been shifted to Capital Hospital for post-mortem. The exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy report.
