A brutal double murder in Dalakijharan village under Lefripada police limits has left residents in shock.
Police said 42-year-old Patras Toppo allegedly killed his elderly parents, Manuel Toppo (70) and Veronica Toppo (65), by striking them repeatedly with an iron pipe inside their home on Monday afternoon, around 3:30 pm.
Witnesses reported that the attack occurred without provocation. Hearing the commotion, the elder son, Patris Toppo, and neighbours rushed to the scene and shifted the injured couple to Lefripada hospital. Doctors later referred them to the District Headquarters Hospital in Sundargarh, where both were declared dead on arrival.
Police registered a murder case based on a complaint filed by the elder son. Investigators confirmed that the accused fled immediately after the incident and remains absconding. Search operations are underway to trace and apprehend him.
