Koraput: A 17-year-old girl was detained and four young men were arrested for allegedly murdering her 45-year-old mother and 14-year-old brother and dumping their bodies in a canal in Koraput district.Police, who cracked the case within 48 hours after it was registered, alleged the group killed the duo after the girl’s family opposed her relationship with the prime accused.
The deceased woman, who was separated from her husband, used to run a roadside eatery while her son was in Class XI. Her daughter is a Plus II student, police said. Preliminary investigation suggests the girl and her boyfriend planned the murders.Koraput SP Rohit Verma told TOI that the girl allegedly opened the door at night, allowing three of the accused to enter her house.“The throats of the woman and her son were slit with a knife while they were asleep. After committing the crime, the accused packed the bodies in sacks, carried them on a scooter and dumped them in the Kolab main canal,” Verma said.The case was registered on Monday night following a complaint lodged by a 42-year-old relative residing under Jeypore Sadar police station limits. During initial probe into the alleged disappearance of the woman and her son since Feb 20, police found that an unidentified body recovered earlier under Kotpad police station limits was linked to the case.Police first apprehended the 21-year-old accused allegedly in a relationship with the girl, along with his 19-year-old associate. “Based on their statements, we recovered the woman’s body from the canal. The knife used in the crime was seized from the associate,” the SP said. Two more accused — aged 19 and 20 — were later arrested for their involvement.Police also seized the scooter allegedly used to transport the bodies. “Further investigation is underway,” Verma added.
