Bhubaneswar: In a shocking incident, a widowed woman allegedly poisoned her two children, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place at Gobhei village under Khunta police limits in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on June 11, 2023. However, the heartwrenching motive behind the incident came to the fore when police interrogated a surviving child of the woman.

According to police sources, the accused Manguli Singh (37) was pregnant. Probably, she poisoned her daughter Raibari (16) and son Bayej (12) to make her way clear.

Kaptipada sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Sathark Ray said, “After examining the statement of an eyewitness, the son, and the accused, we came to know that Manguli has killed her daughter by giving poison.”

The woman decided to commit suicide by consuming poison. Manguli poisoned her daughter and son at a farmland, on the intervening day. However, she did not consume it. Manguli waited at the spot till her daughter died and then fled from the spot, SDPO Ray stated.

The minor boy was rescued by some locals from the agricultural field and rushed to a local hospital. After he recovered from his illness, Bayej narrated the detailed story to the police.

Based on an FIR lodged by Badapakhara sarpanch Magala Majhi, Khunta police have registered a case. Manguli Singh was arrested and later forwarded to court, the cop added.