Rengali Police Crack Blind Murder Case of Elderly Woman; Two Arrested, Stolen Gold Recovered

Jharsuguda : In a swift breakthrough, Rengali police have solved the brutal murder of a 76-year-old woman at Attabira village under Lakhanpur block, arresting the prime accused and a jewellery shop owner who bought the stolen gold, on Saturday.

Police identified the accused as Mahadev Patra (36), a resident of Rengali under Jharsuguda District and one receiver of gold jewellery, Rajkumar Ray (43), a resident of Mausima Mandir, Belpahar, Jharsuguda

The victim, Lopamudra Sahu (76), was found murdered inside her residence on November 10. She was alone at home when the accused entered her house around 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm and later strangled her before escaping with cash and gold ornaments, police said.

Following extensive forensic analysis, technical surveillance and digital evidence, police tracked down the prime accused, Mahadev Patra (36), a resident of Rengali in Jharsuguda district. He was apprehended on Friday with the stolen cash and gold ornaments in his possession.

During the investigation, it was found that the stolen gold was disposed of at a jewellery shop in Belpahar. Police arrested the receiver, Rajkumar Ray (43), owner of Sobhajit Jewellers located near Mausima Mandir in Belpahar, for purchasing the stolen ornaments.

Police seized four gold chains, one pair of gold bangles, six pairs of gold earrings, and one gold finger ring—all together weighing approximately 83 grams. They also recovered one Hero Glamour motorcycle and three mobile phones.

Jharsuguda SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said the case was a “blind murder” but was cracked within four days due to coordinated efforts and scientific investigation.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that Mahadev Patra had taken a loan from many people and was under pressure to repay it. During this time, he identified a relatively big house in Attabira and assumed there would be huge cash and valuables. On November 10, he entered the house, demanded money from the elderly woman, and when she resisted, he strangulated her using a blanket and his hands. He then took away the gold ornaments and Rs. 40,000 in cash. After the crime, he used his motorcycle and two mobile phones and later sold the ornaments to a jewellery shop in Belpahar,” the SP said.