Sambalpur: Police have arrested a man and his son for allegedly killing two of their family members over a property-related matter at Hatpada in Odisha's Sambalpur district.

The accused were identified as Jagannath Dixit and his son Sanket Dixit. The deceased were Snehalata Dixit (90) and her daughter Sairendri Dixit (62). While Jagannath is the elderly woman’s son, Sanket is her grandson.

The father-son duo is accused of strangling the two women to death before setting their bodies on fire. The accused had conspired to kill them due to a dispute over family property, according to police sources.

On Tuesday night, Snehalata and Sairendri were found dead inside their house. Though the deaths initially appeared to be a fire mishap, the family members later accused Jagannath of orchestrating the murders to acquire property.

Police detained and interrogated Jagannath and Sanket, who reportedly confessed to the crime during questioning.

"The accused first strangled the women and then set them on fire to make it appear accidental," said ASP Ajay Mishra.

Preliminary findings suggest that the victims died from suffocation, indicating that they were likely strangled before being burned. The post-mortem report is awaited, said Mishra.