Odisha man murders sons over second marriage, arrested

Bhubaneswar, March 13: In a shocking incident, Fategarh police arrested a man accused of strangling his two sons and attempting to disguise their deaths as suicide in Nayagarh district.

The tragic case came to light on March 10 when family members discovered the bodies of a 14-year-old boy and his 12-year-old brother hanging inside their home in Dhananchengada village. Upon receiving information, the police recovered the bodies and sent them for autopsy.

The victims’ uncle, Laxman Nayak, lodged a complaint against his brother-in-law, Prakash Mohanty, alleging that he murdered the children and staged the scene to mislead authorities. Based on the complaint, police detained Prakash and his mother, Souri Mohanty.

During interrogation, Prakash admitted to committing the crime with his mother’s assistance. Investigations revealed that Prakash, a widower for over two years, was planning a second marriage, a decision opposed by his elder son, Akash.

On March 9, a group from Bhubaneswar visited Prakash’s residence to discuss the marriage proposal. That night, Prakash and Souri allegedly conspired to eliminate the children to remove opposition. They strangled the boys and later hanged their bodies to make it appear as suicide.

In the early hours of March 10, Souri alerted neighbors, claiming the boys had taken their own lives, while Prakash left the house. However, police investigations exposed the truth, leading to their arrests. Both accused were later presented in court after confessing to the crime.