Odisha youth who stabbed cousins dies in ‘mishap’

BERHAMPUR: Twenty-year-old pharmacy student Ashutosh Panigrahy, who allegedly stabbed his cousins on Rakhi Purnima day, succumbed to injuries on Tuesday.

The accused had met with an accident soon after stabbing both his cousins, Prajakta Panigrahy (13) and Ayushman Panigrahy (15). While Prajakta died on the spot, Ayushman was critically injured.

The incident occurred at Ashutosh’s residence in Jagannath Vihar area of the city on Monday while his parents were engaged in a puja ceremony. Ashutosh, Prajakta, and Ayushman were on the first floor when family members heard a commotion. They rushed from the ground floor to the first floor to find two siblings with severe stabbing injuries and Ashutosh missing.

Prajakta was rushed to MKCG medical college and hospital (MCH) but pronounced dead on arrival while Ayushman was referred to a hospital in Bhubaneswar due to his deteriorating condition.

The same day, Ashutosh was found critically injured on the side of NH-59 near Pochilima, under Hinjili police jurisdiction. He was found by police who identified him and informed his family before admitting him to MKCG MCH. It is suspected that Ashutosh was hit by an unidentified vehicle, though the circumstances of the accident are unclear. Police are looking into all the angles.