In a tragic incident that has left a family shattered, a man in Bhubaneswar’s Mancheswar area allegedly murdered his wife by strangling her before trying to take his own life.
The victim, identified as Monica Jena, leaves behind a six-year-old son. Her husband, Pradeep Jena, is currently in critical condition after the suicide attempt and faces arrest once he recovers.
According to police, the couple married in 2019. Marital discord soon took hold, and for nearly two years the two had been living separately. On Monday, they met and appeared to patch up their differences. They began spending time together again. However, during a conversation Monica reportedly told her husband that she wanted to continue living with both him and a male friend with whom she had maintained a relationship for the past two to three years.
Enraged by this revelation, Pradeep allegedly strangled his wife to death. He then cut his own hand and drank a soft drink mixed with poison in an apparent suicide attempt. Neighbours and family members discovered the grim scene and rushed both to hospital. Monica was declared dead, while Pradeep remains under treatment in a serious condition.
Mancheswar police have registered a murder case and begun a preliminary investigation. Officers said long-standing family disputes, compounded by allegations of an extramarital relationship, appear to be the main triggers for the crime. “A case has been filed against the husband. He will be arrested as soon as he is fit for custody,” a police official stated.
The incident has devastated the family. Relatives described years of tension and repeated quarrels over personal relationships. The six-year-old boy, now without his mother, is being cared for by extended family members while authorities continue their probe.
