Odisha teen, two friends held for killing adoptive mother over property dispute

Odisha Police have arrested a Class 8 student and her two friends for allegedly murdering a woman who had adopted and raised the girl in Gajapati district.

The incident occurred on April 29 in Paralakhemundi town, where the victim, 54-year-old Rajalaxmi Kar, was living in a rented house with the girl. According to police, the teenager and her friends smothered Rajalaxmi to death.

Preliminary investigations suggest the murder was driven by Rajalaxmi’s disapproval of the girl’s relationship with the two young men and to gain access to her property. Following the crime, the trio attempted to mislead Rajalaxmi’s relatives by claiming she had died of a heart attack. Her cremation was conducted in Bhubaneswar on April 30, a day after the incident, as some of her family members reside there.

Since Rajalaxmi had a history of heart disease, her relatives — including her brother — initially believed the version said by the accused, said Gajapati SP Jatindra Kumar Panda. The truth came to light when the girl’s uncle, while in Bhubaneswar, found a mobile phone she had hidden. The device had Instagram Messenger conversations between the girl and the two co-accused, detailing their plan to kill Rajalaxmi and steal over 70 grams of gold jewellery along with ₹60,000 in cash.

Following this discovery, Rajalaxmi’s brother, Siba Prasad Mishra, lodged a complaint at the Paralakhemundi police station last Wednesday. The arrested are temple priest Ganesh Rath (21), Dinesh Sahu (20) — both residents of Paralakhemundi — and the 13-year-old girl, who was Rajalaxmi’s adopted daughter.

Police said Rajalaxmi had rescued the girl as a newborn from the roadside in Bhubaneswar when she was just three days old. She later adopted the child. The two had moved to Paralakhemundi after the girl was admitted to Kendriya Vidyalaya and were living in a rented house.

The girl reportedly entered into a relationship with Rath and Sahu, which Rajalaxmi opposed. Rath allegedly convinced the girl to murder her adoptive mother so they could continue their relationship and seize her assets. On the night of April 29, the girl allegedly gave Rajalaxmi sleeping pills. After she became unconscious, the girl called Rath and Sahu, who smothered Rajalaxmi with pillows. They later took her to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

Prior to the murder, the girl had already given some of Rajalaxmi’s gold jewellery to Rath, who pawned it at a private finance firm for around ₹2.4 lakh. He reportedly used the money to buy a motorcycle and travel across the state. During the investigation, police recovered three mobile phones containing incriminating chat records, two pillows used in the crime, and approximately 30 grams of the stolen gold jewellery.
(With PTI Inputs)