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Odisha woman allegedly poisons six in her family: Police

The Odisha police said a serious domestic conflict had been brewing in the family over share in ancestral property

Updated on: Jul 26, 2025, 18:43:38 IST
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Bhubaneswar: Six members of a family, including a two-year-old baby girl, in Jajpur district of Odisha were hospitalised after a woman member of the family allegedly poisoned their meal over a domestic dispute.

Doctors said all the six are now stable. (Representational image)
Doctors said all the six are now stable. (Representational image)

Police officials in Jajpur district said six family members of Umakanta Ojha of Ojhasahi village village under Mangalpur police station were hospitalised on Friday evening after they began vomiting shortly after having lunch. Soon after eating rice, dal, curry, and fried leafy vegetables, a 20-year-old man and a 2-year-old girl began vomiting and showed signs of dizziness. They were initially taken to the local health centre in Mangalpur for treatment. Soon four other family members also complained of nausea and dizziness after which they were admitted to district headquarters hospital.

Doctors at the hospital said all the six are now stable.

Sasmita Ojha, one of the daughters of Umakanta, told the police that her younger sister had mixed poison in the lunch over a domestic dispute. “Around six months ago, my sister eloped and married a youth from a nearby area without our family’s consent. She had allegedly taken gold, cash, a scooter, and other valuables while leaving home. Despite family objections, our relatives had brought the couple back and allowed them to stay together, which led to further tension. Two days ago there was a major altercation and physical brawl in the family in which my sister had threatened to kill all of us. On Friday, my mother Shashikala was cooking lunch when my younger sister started hurling abuses. She laced food with poison while my mother briefly left the kitchen,” she alleged.

Mangalpur police station inspector-in-charge Jagdish Kar said a serious domestic conflict had been brewing in the family over share in ancestral property. “Two separate complaints have already been filed with the Mangalpur police just two days ago following an altercation and physical assault. We are investigating the matter,” he said.

  • Debabrata Mohanty
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Debabrata Mohanty

    Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More