Nayagarh murder case: Children help cops nab mother's killers

Bhubaneswar: Nayagarh district police solved a woman's murder case thanks to the crucial testimonies of her two minor children.

On Wednesday, the Fategarh police arrested three men—Manoj Kumar Behera (28), Prakash Khatua (19), and Santosh Rout (30) on charges of killing Jayanti Behera (36) at her home on Sunday night Nayagarh SP S Susree said, "The statements provided by Jayanti's 11-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son were instrumental in our investigation. Alongside their testimonies, we also secured substantial technical evidence against the accused."

Police revealed that Manoj and Santosh were regular visitors to Jayanti's residence, and her children knew them well.

On the night of the crime, the children were awakened by their mother's screams and saw the accused fleeing.

The motive is believed to be personal disputes involving Jayanti, Manoj and Santosh. "Following the tragic death of her husband from electrocution two years ago, Jayanti lived with her children. Manoj and Santosh, both daily labourers, often visited her home. That night, they were joined by Prakash. An argument broke out, leading to the horrific act in which the men attacked Jayanti with a vegetable knife," Susree said.