In a chilling incident from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, Debashish Patra allegedly murdered his wife Sonali Dalal (23) and her mother Sumati Dalal, then tried to conceal the crime by burying their bodies in his garden and planting banana trees over the burial site.
According to police, Sonali’s mother had brought her daughter back to reconcile with Debashish on July 12 after the couple faced marital issues. However, tensions escalated, and on July 19, Patra reportedly crushed both women to death with a stone while they were asleep following a domestic dispute.
Under the cover of darkness and rain, Patra transported the bodies to a lemon orchard behind his house and buried them. To avoid suspicion, he planted banana trees over the fresh burial spot.
Patra then filed a missing persons report with the police, claiming that Sonali and Sumati had left Mayurbhanj after dropping off their son. Meanwhile, he and his son continued living at the house, unaware of growing suspicion among villagers.
The villagers noticed the fresh soil and the newly planted banana trees in the orchard. Police questioned Patra, who confessed and led them to the burial site. The decomposed bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. The investigation continues as police seek to determine the exact motive behind the murders.
