​​​​​​​Malkangiri, Sept 12: In a gruesome incident, a man was brutally hacked to death by miscreants while he was asleep outside his house in Mathili area of Odisha’s Malkangiri district late last night.

The deceased has been identified as Niranjan Thakur and the incident has been reported from Kurampali village under Mathili police station limits.

As per reports, Niranjan was sleeping outside the house while his daughter and son-in-law were inside. Taking advantage of the darkness, unidentified assailants allegedly locked the door from the outside before slashing Niranjan’s neck with a sharp-edged weapon leading to his death on the spot.

Upon getting the information, Mathili police arrived at the spot and seized the body. Subsequently, it was sent for post-mortem

Though the exact motive behind the gruesome killing is yet to be ascertained, it is being suspected that the murder could be a case of mistaken identity. Meanwhile, his family members have said they do not suspect anyone.

Further investigation into the matter is underway and the cause behind the killing will be ascertained soon, said the police.