A young couple was found hanging from a banyan tree near the Naun-Mania sluice gate at Mohantypatna village under Mangalpur police station in Jajpur district.
Police identified the deceased as Samir Das (25), son of Manguli Das of Ishwarpur village, and Surekha Malik (22) of Mohantypatna village.
Reports said Samir worked at a plywood company in Kerala and had returned home a few days earlier. Family members stated he left home on Monday evening and did not return. Villagers discovered the couple hanging from the tree with a dupatta tied around their necks. The girl wore sindoor, a mangalsutra, alta on her feet, and bangles on her hands. The boy’s hands also bore traces of alta and sindoor, suggesting a symbolic union before their deaths.
Police reached the spot and began an investigation. The scene indicated a suspected suicide pact, though the exact reason remains unclear. Authorities sent the bodies for postmortem and initiated a probe to determine the circumstances leading to the deaths. Locals expressed shock over the incident, which has cast a shadow of grief across both villages.
