Bhubaneswar, Jan. 20: Two persons, including a woman, were today found dead in a slum in Chandrashekharpur.

Another woman with severe injuries was also rescued from the same house.

Police suspect they were killed by the house owner, who is absconding.

However, the identity of the deceased, who were working as daily wagers, is yet to be ascertained.

The matter came to light this morning after slum dwellers noticed the body with multiple injuries in a kutcha house in the slum. The cops suspect that both of them were hit by a wooden plank several times that caused their death. Both the deceased were in their 30s.

The slum dwellers also rescued another woman, identified as Dhuli Tudu, with multiple injuries. She was later rushed to Capital Hospital from where she was referred to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.

The police suspect the house owner Gopal Bishra, 45, might have assaulted them before escaping from the spot.

"We suspect Bishra also assaulted Tudu who tried to intervene in the matter. We are trying to nab him," said inspector in charge of Chandrasekharpur police station D.S. Pratap.

Other residents said that the woman who was killed had been staying there for the past one month, but failed to give any information about the man.

"Bishra has been living in the slum for the past one decade. He used to pick up fight with other slum dwellers under the influence of alcohol," said a resident.

Couple mowed down

A couple died in a road accident on National Highway 16 near Tamando after they were mowed down by a Maruti van.

The deceased has been identified as Golak Bihari Sahu, 52, and his wife Sunanda, 42, resident of BDA Colony, Chandrasekharpur.

The police said that the accident took place this evening when the couple was on their way to Khurda on a motorcycle. A Maruti van hit them from behind and the couple fell on the ground. Later, residents rushed them to Capital Hospital.

"Both of them were declared dead on arrival at the hospital. We are trying to nab the vehicle, which escaped after the mishap," said inspector in charge of Tamando police station K.C. Mund.