In a horrific incident, an elderly man was killed and his wife was left severely injured in Sepahijala district of Tripura on Tuesday night.

The incident was reported from Kalamkhet area of Ward No. 4 under Ghantatali Gram Panchayat in Sonamura police limit. 

As described by injured Namita Das, her husband 82-year-old Shanti Ranjan Das was tied up and strangled to death by a group of miscreants. The woman on Wednesday morning informed the local villagers that she somehow survived the attack.

Before fleeing, the assailants vandalized furniture in the house. Shockingly, despite the brutality of the attack, no neighbours heard or noticed anything unusual during the night.

It was only on Wednesday morning that Namita Das regained consciousness and, covered in blood and injuries, managed to crawl out of her house to a neighbour's residence for help. 

The locals immediately rushed her to Melaghar hospital, from where she was referred to Agartala’s GBP Hospital in critical condition.

Meanwhile, some residents entered the Das residence and, upon discovering the crime scene and Shanti Ranjan's lifeless body, informed Sonamura police. The police arrived promptly, cordoned off the area, and called in forensic experts to examine. The victim’s body was taken for post-mortem.

The incident has triggered huge sensation among the villagers of Kalamkhet. The locals are suspecting it an incident of dacoity.

Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the crime, who are currently in custody at the Sonamura police station. 

Investigations have revealed that for the past month, a group of local youths had been frequenting the area around the elderly couple’s home at odd hours. Despite warnings, they continued to loiter and reportedly issued threats to the couple when confronted. Several items were stolen from the premises over time, and even the electric bulbs outside their house were destroyed.

Locals alleged that the youths had a history of delinquency and were involved in various criminal activities. About a fortnight ago, these individuals were subjected to a community trial for their involvement in a theft.

The funeral of Shanti Ranjan Das was held in the presence of his three sons — Rabindra, Aravinda, and Palash — along with a large number of grieving villagers.