Retired official stabs wife to death, hands over gold to daughter and surrenders

Airfield police station inspector-in-charge Deepika Debi Roy, said an argument broke out when Debaraj attempted to leave the house earlier in the morning

Published on: Apr 8, 2026, 22:49:25 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, BHUBANESWAR

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A 62-year-old retired government employee allegedly stabbed his wife to death in a fit of rage in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, before locking their two-storey house and heading to his daughter’s house to hand over ₹25,000 in cash and gold jewellery. The accused, Debaraj Sarangi, later walked into a police station and allegedly confessed to killing his wife, Priyambada Sarangi (55), after she tried to stop him from leaving their residence.

The incident occurred at the couple’s home in Swastik Nagar, under the Airfield police station limits, shortly after they had breakfast.

According to Airfield police station inspector-in-charge Deepika Debi Roy, an argument broke out when Debaraj attempted to leave the house earlier in the morning. “During the altercation, Debaraj assaulted his wife with fist blows and strangled her, rendering her unconscious. He then repeatedly stabbed her in the face and neck with a kitchen knife, leading to her death due to excessive bleeding,” the police inspector said.

After the attack, Sarangi collected the cash and ornaments but did not disclose the crime to his daughter when handing them over at her Patrapada residence.

He later walked into the police station and allegedly confessed to attacking his wife.

A police team rushed to the house and found the woman lying in a pool of blood inside a bedroom. Police have seized a blood-stained knife and two mobile phones from the spot.

Officials said Sarangi was suffering from diabetes, hypertension and liver cirrhosis, and was under mental stress. His daughter told police that he hadn’t been getting much sleep in the days leading up to the incident.

A case has been registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder.

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

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