Bhubaneswar: A 33-year-old man allegedly strangled his estranged wife before consuming poison in Chakeisiani area under Mancheswar police station limits of the city on Monday.Pradip Jena, a carpenter employed at a furniture‑making unit in Mancheswar, was later found in a critical condition with a poison bottle in his hand and admitted to a private hospital. “He admitted to consuming poison after killing his wife. He was rushed to a nearby hospital. We will arrest him once he recovers and is discharged from the hospital,” a police officer said.DCP Jagmohan Meena said the couple, originally from Nayagarh district, had got married in 2019 but had been living separately in Bhubaneswar for the past two years. Deceased Manika Jena (26) had been staying with her mother in a rented house, while Pradip lived elsewhere in the city with their five‑year‑old son, police sources said.According to investigators, Pradip went to Manika’s residence at Chakeisiani in the evening when she was alone at home. Following an altercation, he allegedly strangled her and slashed her left wrist before locking the door from outside and fleeing. When Manika’s mother returned and found the door bolted, she alerted neighbours. They broke it open to find Manika lying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.Police said her dying declaration pointed to her husband as the assailant. A manhunt was launched, and Pradip was traced to the Mancheswar industrial area.
