Nayagarh: A woman along with her husband allegedly beat their physically-challenged stepson to death in Patharapunja village under Daspalla police limits in Nayagarh district, a source said Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Bijay Pradhan (35).
Bijay and his parents had an argument Saturday night during which the stepmother allegedly roughed up Bijay violently that subsequently led to his death.
According to the source, Bijay wanted to get married and expressed his desire to his family members. However, Bijay’s stepmother opposed his decision as she feared Bijay would assert ownership over property. She used to beat him up and deprive him of food whenever the matter came up for discussion in the family.
Some of the relatives of the family, in conditions of anonymity, alleged that the accused woman was aided by her husband (victim’s father) and her sons from her marriage with Bijay’s father in executing the crime.
However, the accused woman claimed to be falsely implicated by Bijay’s relatives and denied the allegations against her.
PNN