A man was killed while his wife sustained critical injuries after some unidentified miscreants barged into their house at Babakarpur Rajagad in Kendrapara district and opened fire at them, on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Arabinda Mishra, a former employee at the Kendrapara Block.
His wife, identified as Minati Mishra, sustained grievous injuries in the gun attack and has been admitted to a nearby hospital in severely critical condition.
Sources said three armed miscreants barged into the couple’s house on Saturday afternoon and started firing at them causing Mishra’s death on the spot.
The exact motive behind the attack or the identity of the attackers is still unknown, sources said.
“We don’t know the exact reason behind the attack. We were not at home when the incident took place. We rushed to the hospital immediately after we were informed about the incident,” said a relative of the deceased.
“Though the exact reason behind the attack in not known, but it is suspected that some family dispute might be the reason behind the attack. The irate villagers have torched the vehicle of the miscreants,” Amiya Kumar Nayak, former sarpanch.
However reports claimed that two out of three suspects have been nabbed by the villagers while they were trying to flee the spot after committing the crime.
After informed about the incident, police rushed to the spot and have started an investigation into the matter.