Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police on Tuesday arrested a robber on the charges of killing an elderly woman during a robbery bid in Baranga area of Cuttack city on May 20. The accused has been identified as Jamuna Rout of Jhinkria village under Nandankanan police station area of Bhubaneswar. “From the preliminary investigation conducted so far, the motive behind the murder is revealed to be robbery,” police said.

The Baranga police, during the course investigation, ascertained that 75-year-old deceased Basanti Behera was staying alone at Ananda Bazar in Baranga. The accused found Basanti an easy target owing to her old age and being solitary. After carrying out the recce, Rout broke into the house of the deceased on May 20 night to commit robbery.

Meanwhile, the elderly victim saw the accused and started shouting. To prevent her from raising an alarm, a panicky Rout attacked her with a sharp weapon, which was later recovered from the crime scene.

The assault resulted in her death on the spot. Rout fled from the crime spot along with some valuables and household materials. The deceased’s son, on the next morning, found her lying in a pool of blood on her bed and registered a case at Baranga police station. On getting information, police reached the spot and initiated an investigation to nab the culprit.

Following an analysis of CCTV footage collected from Bhubaneswar Smart City control room and ground verification, the police finally succeeded in arresting Rout on Tuesday. He was produced before the court, which later sent him to judicial custody. Police are verifying the criminal antecedents of Rout.