NEW DELHI: A man and his son have been arrested for killing their 90-year-old mother and 62-year-old sister in their home in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, police said on Thursday.
The burnt bodies of Snehalata Dikshit (90) and her daughter Sairendri Dikshit (62) were found on the first floor of their house in Hatapada area under the jurisdiction of Sambalpur Sadar police station on Tuesday night.
“Initially, it was treated as a case of unnatural death, but upon questioning the family members of the deceased, it was found to be a case of murder.
Accordingly, Snehalata Dikshit’s son Jagannath and nephew Sanket have been arrested,” said Ajay Mishra, additional superintendent of police (ASP) Sambalpur.
“It was a pre-planned crime committed following a property dispute. During the initial investigation, we found that the two women were first strangled to death and then their bodies were set on fire. However, the exact cause of death will be known after receiving post-mortem reports,” he said.
Earlier, Snehalata Dikshit’s younger daughter Indrani Purohit alleged that her brother killed the two over a dispute over land and property.
The 90-year-old woman and her 62-year-old daughter used to stay on the first floor of the two-storey building. Her son Jagannath lived on the ground floor of the building with his family, another police officer said.
Seeing a fire on the first floor of the building between 22.30 and 23.00 on November 5, the locals notified the police. Police reached the spot and found the charred bodies, following which an investigation has begun, the officer said.