Man arrested for killing wife, mother-in-law; burying them in backyard

Balasore: A man brutally murdered his wife and mother-in-law by smashing their heads with stones, buried their bodies in a pit behind his house and planted banana saplings over it in a calculated attempt to hide the crime that followed a domestic dispute. The shocking double murder took place in Nuagaon village under Kuliana police station limits in Mayurbhanj district.The accused, Debashis Patra (40), reportedly killed his 23-year-old wife Sonali Dalei and 55-year-old mother-in-law Sumati Dalei by smashing their heads with stones on July 15. IIC, Kuliana police station, Madhumita Mohanty said the accused has been arrested. According to police sources, the two women had been reported missing since July 15. Suspicion grew among villagers after they noticed freshly dug earth behind Debashis's house, topped with recently planted banana trees. They alerted police, who launched a scientific investigation in the presence of a magistrate and recovered the two decomposed bodies on Tuesday.Debashis was arrested and during interrogation, he confessed to the murders. Sonali Dalei was Debashis's second wife and the couple has a one-year-old son. He is also reportedly entangled in a legal battle with his first wife. While the exact motive of the crime is being probed, family discord is suspected to have triggered it, police said.Tension is brewing in the village as an irate mob is demanding that the accused be handed over to them. Police have been deployed in the area to control the situation and ease the tension.