Kesinga: A father-in-law and son-in-law were found dead under mysterious circumstances near a railway track in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, sparking a stir in the area and raising suspicions of a land dispute-related murder.
The deceased have been identified as Sudam Naik (65), a retired librarian from Kikiya village under the Kesinga police station limits, and his father-in-law, Lingaraj Saha (85), from Luthurbandh village under the Titlagarh police station limits. According to family members, Naik had taken his ailing father-in-law to Visakhapatnam for treatment. After completing the treatment, the two were returning home by train on Thursday night. During the journey, they had informed their family members over the phone that they were boarding another train after missing a connecting service.
However, their bodies were later recovered from two different locations along the railway line. Lingaraj Saha’s body was found near Raigarh railway station, while Naik’s body was found near Dahikhal railway station. The bodies were recovered by Railway Police in Muniguda on Friday morning.
Police said they contacted Naik’s family through a phone number found in his wallet. Family members arrived at the scene after receiving the information.
Relatives have alleged foul play, suspecting the two were murdered inside the train and their bodies dumped outside. They claim the incident may be related to a land dispute, as Sahu had allegedly decided to transfer a portion of his land to his son-in-law. Other family members were reportedly upset by this decision.
Postmortems were conducted in Rayagada and Muniguda before the bodies were handed over to the families. The last rites were performed on Friday evening.
Railway Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.
