A recent development in what was initially thought to be a self-immolation bid has revealed that it was, in fact, cold-blooded murder. Leading the investigation, police arrested three members of the victim’s family on Saturday. The man, identified as Jyotiranjan of Saripur village under the Balianta Police Station limits, succumbed to burn injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar a day after being admitted earlier. At the time, the incident was being treated as a self-immolation case, but new findings have persuaded the police to change the course of action.
According to the FIR filed by his wife, Bijayalaxmi Behera, Jyotiranjan’s father, stepmother, and stepbrother, along with others, allegedly poured petrol on him and set him ablaze on Friday. The motive behind the crime is believed to be a long-standing family dispute, police said.
Jyotiranjan was initially taken to the Aithantar Community Health Centre and later referred to Capital Hospital before being admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Prima facie evidence indicated that it was not a case of self-immolation but an attempt to murder over a land dispute. Police are still awaiting post-mortem reports, which will further strengthen the investigation.
The accused have been identified as Surendranath Mathia (74), stepmother Parvati Mathia (50), and stepbrother Prashant Kumar Mathia (34). Bijayalaxmi, the victim’s wife, further detailed that the dispute stemmed from her father-in-law’s denial of her husband’s rightful share in the property. It was only after the fire and the police probe that it was revealed that what was being treated as a self-immolation bid was actually an attempted murder by setting the victim on fire.
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