Cuttack: The Cuttack police on Tuesday arrested Santosh Khuntia, husband of Shilpi Khuntia, a day after the woman allegedly committed suicide after killing her minor step-son in Madhupatna of this district, on the basis of a complaint lodged by the deceased’s family. Santosh will be produced in court today.
On Monday, Shilpi Khuntia was found hanging from the ceiling of her room on Monday, while her two-year-old stepson was found with his throat slit and lying in a pool of blood. The tragic incident occurred in Sriramnagar in Madhupatna police limits.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Shilpi, a resident of Netaji Nagar in Cuttack, wed Santosh, a resident of Salepur, in 2022. Santosh had a son from his first marriage.
Santosh worked as an engineer, while Shilpi was an account admin at Fastfix Automotive. Earlier, Shilpi was a lecturer at Satyasai Engineering College, Balasore. According to sources, the couple were not on good terms and quarrelled often. The marital dispute is said to be the main reason behind the incident.
Santosh had also lodged a complaint against his wife with the police. The matter was settled amicably but their dispute lingered.
In her last Facebook post, Shilpi posted a photo reading, “I quit. Because that was the only option. Until…”, hinting that she was under extreme mental duress.
On the other hand, Santosh claimed that Shilpi and her family tortured him.
Santosh’s father Janakinath Khuntia has filed an FIR with the local police against Shilpi for the murder of his grandson, while the deceased woman’s father Gyanendra Kumar Das lodged a complaint alleging mental and physical harassment. The police registered two separate cases on the basis of these complaints.
