Odisha man wipes out brother’s family over property dispute

Cuttack (Odisha), April 12

A 53-year-old man hacked to death all five members of his elder brother’s family, including two minor children, in Odisha’s Cuttack district after he was allegedly assaulted by them over some property dispute, police said on Tuesday.

The man later released a video on social media regretting the killings and surrendered before the police. The incident occurred at Kusupur village under Mahanga police station, about 40 km from here. However, accused Shiva Sahoo surrendered at Balichandrapur police station in the neighbouring Jajpur district, which is nearer to his village.

“Shiva Sahoo surrendered around noon on Tuesday and said he had committed the crime in a fit of rage last night after he was assaulted by his elder brother’s family on the previous day over a protracted dispute,” Balichandrapur police inspector Ramakanta Muduli said.

In the video that has gone viral, Sahoo claimed that he realised his mistake only in the morning after seeing the bodies which were lying in pools of blood.

“I had lost my cool after I was thrashed by each member of my elder brother’s family”, he said in the video.

The deceased are Alekh Sahoo (55), his wife Smruti Rekha Prusty (50), their daughter Sandhya (18), and sons Saurav (12) and Sai (8).

Police said Shiva Sahoo on Tuesday morning locked the house from outside, made a video using his mobile phone recounting the incident, and then went to the police station.

Cuttack (Rural) Superintendent of Police B Jugal Kishore said a case has been registered and an investigation has started.

Villagers said that the two brothers were at loggerheads over some property dispute.