Cuttack loot case: Accused was elderly couple’s grandson, arrested

Cuttack: A day after unidentified armed miscreants allegedly killed an elderly man and injured his wife critically while looting a house at Bhagabanpur under Nemala police limits in Odisha’s Cuttack district, police claimed to have cracked the case by arresting the couple’s grandson who reportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation.

Official sources said the accused Omkar Muduli was planning the loot since a week and eyening on his grandparents’ gold and other assets as he had a few debts to pay and was also involved in relationships.

On the night of the incident, Omkar was sleeping with grandparents Hrusikesh and Kanaklata in their room. When he went to open the wadrobe, Hrusikesh awoke from his sleep and caught him in the act which prompted Omkar to attack him with a sharp weapon. While Hrusikesh died on the spot, wife Kanaklata on hearing the screams woke up. When she tried to come to her husband’s rescue, she suffered critical injuries as Omkar attacked her too and even bit her when she tried to prevent him from looting the ornaments.

Then in order to destroy evidence and make it look like an accident, Omkar burnt the blanket and fled the scene. In the morning, Hrusikesh’s brother Nrusingha Charan saw smoke coming out of the house and rushed to the spot. Police on getting information reached the spot and recovered Hrusikesh’s body while shifting Kanaklata immediately to a private hospital.

Police said in the hospital, Omkar was present. When he was asked about the incident, his behaviour was suspicious. Police later saw him try to flee and nabbed him from Cuttack railway station where he confessed to have committed the crime. “His aim was to loot the gold and cash. He attacked the couple as they caught him during the robbery. Cash of Rs 4000, gold chain, earrings and other ornaments have been recovered from the possession of the accused,” informed Salepur SDPO Bimal Kumar Barik.