Puri, Oct 20: Puri Police have arrested Madan Dalei, who was allegedly involved in the murder of his mother, Annapurna Dalei, and concealing her body beneath a cement-plastered kitchen slab in a rented house in the Kumbharpada police station area. The accused was arrested in Tatanagar, Jharkhand, 57 days after the incident.

A special police team was formed under the direction of Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Prateek Singh to trace and arrest the accused. Madan had allegedly been evading arrest despite raids at several locations.

According to police, the incident took place on August 24, when Madan allegedly murdered his mother and concealed her body beneath the kitchen slab before fleeing the house. The deceased, Annapurna Dalei, hailed from Kharada village under Kashinagar police station in Gajapati district. She and her son had been living together in a rented house in Kumbharpada, Puri.

Body found after neighbours report foul smell

The case came to light on the evening of August 24 after neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from the rented house owned by Bhagirathi Sahu. Upon inspecting the premises, the landlord reportedly noticed blood-stained water seeping from beneath the kitchen slab and informed the Kumbharpada police.

In the presence of a magistrate, police broke open the cement plaster and recovered Annapurna's body concealed underneath the slab.

Following a complaint lodged by the landlord, police registered a murder case. Preliminary investigations indicated that Madan had allegedly killed his mother and concealed her body before fleeing.

Police to investigate motive

Puri SP Prateek Singh is expected to share further details about the arrest and the alleged motive behind the murder at a press conference.

Although Madan has now been arrested, the exact motive behind the crime is yet to be established. Police may seek his remand for further interrogation, if required, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder.

The arrest is expected to help investigators establish the sequence of events and determine the motive behind the alleged crime.