Jharsuguda, April 12: A horrifying incident has sent shockwaves through Tangarpali village, located within the Airport police station limits of Jharsuguda, following a double murder and attempted suicide late Saturday night.

A local woman, identified as Ranjita Oram, allegedly killed her young daughter and son with an axe before turning a knife on herself in a desperate bid to end her life.

The tragedy unfolded shortly after midnight after the family had finished dinner and gone to bed. Police sources indicate that Ranjita woke her husband and asked him to step outside. As soon as he exited the house, she locked the door from the inside, isolating herself with her two children, Jijnyasha Oram and Vibhanshu Oram. In a sudden and brutal outburst, she attacked both children with an axe, inflicting fatal injuries.

Following the assault on her children, Ranjita allegedly used a knife to slit her own throat. Outside, her husband grew suspicious of the locked door and the silence within. With the assistance of a neighbor, he managed to break open a window to gain entry into the home. He was met with a gruesome scene, finding both of his children dead and his wife bleeding profusely from her self-inflicted wounds.

Ranjita was quickly transported to the Jharsuguda District Headquarters Hospital for emergency treatment. However, due to her deteriorating state, she was later shifted to VIMSAR, Burla, where she remains in critical condition.

While the Airport police have registered a formal case and launched an extensive investigation, the motive behind this violent act remains a mystery. Authorities are currently looking into the family's history and mental health background to determine what led to the tragedy.