Jalpaiguri: A man has been accused of hacking his wife and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter to death with a sharp weapon while they were sleeping. It is alleged that later the accused tried to take his own life. The shocking incident happened at Line Number 8 of Looksun Tea Estate under Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri district on Sunday night.
The incident sent shockwaves in the locality. Inspector-in-Charge Kaushik Karmakar of Nagrakata police station rushed to the spot to investigate the gruesome incident. Police said the deceased woman's name is Sakhi Onrao (27) while her daughter's name is Mamta Onrao (18 months). The accused has been identified as Lal Singh Orao (30).
After the murders, the accused tried to die by suicide by hacking himself with a sharp weapon. In the morning, neighbours saw him lying in front of the house. Then the neighbours informed the Nagrakata police station. Police arrived at the crime spot and rescued Lal Singh. Police also shifted the bodies to a hospital for an autopsy. Whereas, the accused was admitted to Shulkapara Primary Health Centre in Nagrakata.
According to police sources, the accused works at Looksun market. He was a habitual drinker and his mental condition was not stable. After killing his sleeping wife and child, he tried to kill himself and got seriously injured. Police with the help of local people admitted him to Shulapara Health Centre for treatment.
Currently, the injured person has been undergoing treatment at the hospital. Rakesh, the brother of the deceased, said, "I received a call this morning. I came to know that my brother-in-law had killed my didi (elder sister) and her daughter at home." Malbazar SDPO Rabin Thapa said that they are probing the case from all angles and whether it was mental illness or anything else will be known after investigation.