Couple killed over land dispute in Odisha

A 62-year-old man and his wife were on Wednesday murdered allegedly by the husband’s younger brother and his family over a long-standing land dispute in Odisha’s Ganjam district, police said.

The assailants attacked the two with a sharp weapon at Somaiguda under Aska police station limits when the two were working in the agricultural field.

The man succumbed due to profuse bleeding on the disputed land while his wife Malla Patra alias Laxmi (50) succumbed to her injuries on the way to a hospital.

The police detained Bhubuni, the younger brother of Raju, and his wife Ranjita for questioning. Their son Papun is absconding.

Ganjam district SP Suvendu Kumar Patra said police officers and a forensic team started investigating the case.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the two sides have a long-standing rivalry over the land dispute.

The son of the deceased has lodged a complaint against the three accused persons, based on which a murder case has been registered.