Bhubaneswar, Jul 28: A 32-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her estranged husband inside her rented house at Chakeisiani Colony under the Mancheswar police station limits in Bhubaneswar . The accused, identified as Pradeep Jena, allegedly slit his wife's throat with a blade before fleeing the scene and later attempted to end his own life by consuming poison.

According to police, the victim, Monika Jena, was alone at home when the accused allegedly entered the house and attacked her. After the incident, he reportedly locked the house from the outside with a new lock and left. He was later found inside a nearby auto-rickshaw after allegedly consuming poison. Police rescued him and admitted him to Capital Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Investigators said Monika and Pradeep were married nine years ago according to Hindu rituals and have a son. Family members alleged that Monika had been subjected to dowry-related harassment soon after marriage, prompting her to file a dowry harassment case at Nayagarh Police Station. She later moved to Chennai for work, but according to her family, the accused continued to harass and assault her there as well.

After returning to Bhubaneswar, Monika was living separately in the Mancheswar area. About two months ago, Pradeep allegedly assaulted her again and took away their son, following which she lodged another complaint at the Mahila Police Station. To avoid further harassment, she shifted to a rented house in Chakeisiani. However, police said the accused had been searching for her over the past two days by showing her photograph to local residents.

Preliminary investigation suggests the accused made multiple attempts to kill Monika. Police suspect he first tried to injure her with a blade, then allegedly attempted to strangle her with a towel and force her to consume poison. When those attempts failed, he allegedly slit her throat with the blade before fleeing.

The crime came to light around 5 p.m., when Monika's mother returned home from work and found a new lock on the door. With the help of other family members, she broke open the lock and discovered Monika lying dead on a cot with her throat slit.

A team from Mancheswar Police, accompanied by forensic experts, visited the crime scene and collected evidence, including the suspected murder weapon, a towel (gamucha), and blood samples. The body has been sent to Capital Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police have registered a murder case and launched a detailed investigation into the incident. The accused remains under medical treatment, and further legal action will follow based on the progress of the investigation.