Man kills wife over welfare scheme money to buy liquor, buries body in septic tank

A Dhenkanal man allegedly killed his wife after she refused to hand over Subhadra Yojana money for liquor. The body was found in a backyard septic tank after their children alerted neighbours.Odisha man allegedly kills wife over welfare scheme money, buries her body in a septic tank. (Representative image)A man in Odisha's Dhenkanal allegedly beat his wife to death after she refused to give him money credited under the Subhadra Yojana to buy liquor. He then buried her body in a septic tank behind their home, police said.The incident took place late Friday night. The accused has been identified as Girish Pradhan. According to the victim's family, Girish and his wife had gone to collect money credited under the Odisha government's Subhadra Yojana earlier on Friday.After returning home, Girish allegedly demanded the money from his wife to buy liquor. When she refused, the couple got into a violent altercation, during which he attacked her with a stick.CHILDREN ALERT NEIGHBOURSThe crime came to light on Saturday morning when the couple's four children became anxious after they could not find their mother. The children told neighbours about the fierce fight between their parents the previous night. Neighbours then searched the premises and noticed what appeared to be a human hand protruding from a septic pit in the backyard.They immediately alerted the authorities.BODY RECOVERED FROM SEPTIC TANK Dhenkanal Additional SP Indurekha said police received information about the incident at around 9 am and rushed to the spot."There was a fight between the couple. The husband killed the wife and buried her in the backyard. We came and recovered the body," the ASP said.The Sadar police, accompanied by a scientific team, recovered the body. It was subsequently shifted to a government hospital for autopsy.ACCUSED ARRESTEDPolice have arrested Girish in connection with the murder. The crime scene was also recreated as part of the ongoing investigation.The case is being investigated further, while the post-mortem examination is expected to establish further details surrounding the woman's death.- EndsPublished On: Aug 29, 2026 19:15 IST