Kuliana double murder premeditated; planned by health worker with mother and aides

BARIPADA: The double murder in Kuliana was pre-meditated and three more people, including the main accused’s mother, had played their part in the heinous crime, Mayurbhanj police said here on Friday.

Bharati Patra, mother of main accused Debashis Patra, associates Sambhunath Naik (29) and Sipun Pradhan were arrested on the day and produced before a local court by Kuliana police.

On July 29, Debashis was arrested for murdering his second wife Sonali Dalai and her mother Sumati who he buried in the lemon orchard of his house and planted banana saplings to cover up his evil act and design.Investigation revealed that the 36-year-old health worker of Kuliana community health centre had dug up a 10 ft deep ditch behind his house, away from public access. “He confessed to police that he was unhappy with Sonali and considered her a burden. He felt that he could not lead a happy conjugal life with his wife and planned to eliminate her,” additional SP Deepak Gochhayat told mediapersons here on the day.

He had help from Sambhunath and Sipun as well his mother Bharati. Police said, on July 12, Sonali and her mother came to Bada Nuagaon after they were assured by Debashis that he would sort out the marital discord. While they were asleep, the four tied their hands and legs, gagged them and brutally assaulted the mother-daughter duo with an axe and stones, killing them on the spot.

Debashis then carried their bodies to the ditch and buried them. To avoid suspicion, he also planted trees on the spot.

Gochhayat said the health worker was previously married in 2015 but due to marital discord, there was separation in a family court in 2022. A criminal case was also registered against him for harassment and torture.The main accused remarried but since Sonali was from an economically-weaker section, the couple had frequent disputes which compelled the wife to stay with her parents at Ambadubi often. She too had filed a case of torture and inhuman activities against her husband.

When police began investigation, the cases against Debashish prompted the cops to look into the husband’s role and they interrogated him during which he voluntarily confessed to the heinous crime.