Pradeep Pattanayak

A two-and-a-half-year-old toddler’s statement on how brutally her mother was murdered has led to the arrest of her father, a resident of Karagaon of Umerkote area in Nabarangpur district.  Though the incident occurred at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on September 19, the heinous crime came to the fore only on September 23 when the deceased’s body reached Karagaon. 

The accused has been identified as Manik Ghosh and the deceased as Lipika Mandal. 

According to a source, Lipika was married to Manik seven years ago. After the marriage, they went to Kakinada in search of work and had been staying there. There had often been quarrels between them over some family issues. 

In this regard, Lipika’s family members had also lodged a complaint at Umerkote police station in May, following which Lipika was staying with her parents. However, the dispute was settled and the family members dropped Lipika at Manik’s house. Thereafter, they once again went to Kakinada. 

On September 19, they again entered into a verbal duel. In a fit of rage, Manik slapped Lipika on her ear and then strangulated her to death. The entire episode happened in front of their two-and-a-half-year daughter. 

During the investigation, the sole witness to the crime, the toddler, narrated everything before the Andhra Pradesh police, leading to the arrest of Manik. 

The incident has been the talk of the town.
 

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