Berhampur (Odisha), Jun 1 (PTI) A 57-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly setting her landlord on fire in Odisha’s Ganjam district, a police officer said on Sunday.
The woman, a widow allegedly killed the landlord, a retired revenue inspector, by setting him on fire on Thursday at Subash Nagar under Baidyanathpur police station limits here to grab the properties of the deceased, the police said.
The deceased, identified as Harihar Sahu (72) and the accused Sudeshna Jena of Amrutul in Sorada were staying alone on the first and ground floor of the house respectively in the area. While a daughter of the accused was staying in Hyderabad, another daughter was staying at Ambapua of the city, they said.
On Thursday early morning, the accused entered into the room of the deceased and poured kerosene and set him afire while he was sleeping, the police said, adding, that Sudeshna has free access to the deceased’s room. He was rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital here and then to SCB Medical College and Hospital Cuttack, where he died.
Describing the woman committed the murder of the old man in a planned manner, SP (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M said to disappear the evidence of the crime; the accused threw the mobile phone of the deceased inside the courtyard of the house and threw the plastic kerosene bottle in the fire.
She pretended to rescue the deceased with the help of neighbours alleging two unknown persons set fire to the deceased entering his room, he said.
In the morning of the same day, she had informed about the incident to the daughter of the deceased, who rushed to the medical college, here and then Cuttack, the SP said.
The matter of murder came to light when the deceased had reportedly disclosed to his daughter that someone had sprinkled kerosene on him and set him on fire during his treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack before his death.
His daughter Madhusmita Sahu lodged an FIR at Baidyanathpur police station on Thursday.
“In order to grab his property, the accused murdered the deceased in a well-planned manner by sprinkling kerosene on him and setting him on fire in the night,” he further said.
Preliminary investigation has revealed the accused and the deceased have had a relationship for the last five years. Most of the time without her will, the deceased invited her for his sexual pleasure. She had also an eye on the properties of the deceased as he was a retired revenue inspector, the police said. PTI COR BBM BBM RG
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