Crime News: Bhubaneswar, Nov 7: Police in Sambalpur arrested a father and son on Thursday in connection with the mysterious deaths of a 98-year-old woman and her elderly daughter. The two women, identified as Snehalata Dixit and her daughter Sairendri Dixit, were found dead in their two-story residence at Hatapada late Tuesday.
Police sources revealed that the women were strangled to death before being set on fire to cover up the crime as a fire accident. The accused were identified as Jagannath Dixit, the son and brother of the deceased, and his son Sanket Dixit.
Preliminary investigations suggested suffocation as the cause of death, confirming that the women were strangled prior to the fire. Police officials stated that the murder appeared to be pre-planned, likely motivated by property disputes. The father and son were initially questioned and later arrested. They are expected to be taken to the crime scene for reenactment.
Snehalata and her daughter, a retired school teacher, lived on the first floor of the house, while Jagannath and his family stayed on the ground floor. Neighbors had noticed smoke from the upper floor around 10:30 PM on Tuesday. Sairendri’s body was found partially burned in the kitchen, while her mother’s body showed no burn injuries but was found in another room. Police discovered that the stove burners were left on when they arrived. Snehalata’s younger daughter, Indrani Purohit, has accused her brother and his family of the murder.
