Puri, January 12: A five-year-old boy was brutally killed by a man who smashed his head with a rock and cut off his hand and leg at a village in Nabarangpur district on Thursday. The man, identified as Jal Santa (25), attacked the boy, Chandan Pujari, in front of his father, Sanadhar Pujari, who is a priest at a Shiv temple on a hill in the Dabugaon area. The father fainted after witnessing the horrific crime and later informed the police.

According to a report published by the New Indian Express, the police tracked down Santa within hours and arrested him. They also recovered the boy’s severed body parts from him. Nabarangpur SP Rohit Verma said Santa was not coherent during interrogation and claimed he was angry with Pujari for staring at him. Verma said there was no evidence of any mental illness, personal feud, or land dispute between Santa and Pujari. He said the police were probing the motive behind the murder. Odisha Shocker: Youth Kills Minor Girlfriend for ‘Avoiding’ Him in Bolangir; Two Accused Arrested, One Absconding.

According to sources, Pujari had gone to the temple with two villagers to perform his daily rituals. His son wanted to join him, and his grandfather took him to the temple. The boy was playing near the temple when Santa came and killed him. Verma and a scientific team visited the crime scene to collect evidence. Odisha Shocker: 15-Year-Old Student Beaten to Death by Friends During Dispute Over EarPods in Rourkela, Two Arrested.

In another incident, a minor girl who was a resident of Odisha's Sorada village was murdered and her body was buried in the limits of Phiringia police station. As per the reports, it is suspected that the victim's father killed her over a love affair. The police believe that the body was buried in order to destroy evidence. The three apprehended individuals are girls' relatives who have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the case.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2024 05:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).