Youth's house set on fire by miscreants over involvement in murder case

Keonjhar: Tension prevailed in Saruali village of Keonjhar district after some miscreants set a youth's house on fire late last night. An elderly couple and two children who were present inside the house had a narrow escape.

The matter came to fore after the couple, Arjuna Patra and Dura Patra lodged a complaint at Telkoi police station on Wednesday.

As per reports, their son Prasanna Patra was working at Dimiria village under Palalahada in Angul district. However, he absconded after being accused in the murder of a youth of Dimiria.

Tuesday night late at around 2 am, as many as 10 youths came to Prasanna’s house searching for his whereabouts and asked his parents to open the door. Later, they set the house on fire, reports added.

“Eight to ten persons came and asked us to get out of the house. When we denied, they threatened me saying they had come to kill my son. I told them that he (Prasanna) was not in the house. Later, they set the house on fire and fled the spot,” alleged Dura.

After hearing their screams, villagers rushed to the spot and rescued the couple and two kids from their house.

However, by the time the fire tenders managed to douse the flames, the house was completely gutted in the flames.