Bhubaneswar, Jan. 11: Armed goons killed a 45-year-old woman at Khurda district's Panchukote village in Balagarh police limits early on Monday.

Though the exact motive behind the incident is yet to be ascertained, police suspect loot could be the reason. On seeing the rear door broken, neighbours entered it and found Rupei Behera, her 55-year-old husband Prahalad and son Dhiren, 19, lying in a pool of blood. The three were rushed to the hospital, where Rupei succumbed to her injuries.

The police said that at least six masked criminals broke the rear door of the house and barged in. They allegedly snatched the earrings of the woman and decamped with other valuables. The police have also found some gold ornaments from the spot. The police said that Rupei died due to injuries to her head. They said that the goons had stabbed Prahalad with a screwdriver. Dhiren also sustained head injuries as he was attacked with sharp-edged weapons.

"The entire house was ransacked. We suspect that loot was the motive behind the incident," said a relative of the Behera family. "The entire house was ransacked. We suspect that loot was the motive behind the incident," said a relative of the Behera family.

The cops are not ruling out the possibility of past enmity behind the crime. "Prahalad is a farmer and we suspect that he did not have much cash and gold ornaments at home," said a police official. Dilip Das, superintendent of police, Khurda, said that a case had been registered and probe was on. "We are looking into all angles to ascertain whether loot or past enmity is the reason behind the crime," said Das. In a similar incident, four bodies of a family were found from their residence near Astarang on September 22. The bodies of retired district inspector of schools Dinabandhu Mallick, 67, his wife Nirmala Mallick, 45, and two daughters Pranati Mallick, 10, and Saswati Pridarshani, 4, were found at their residence with their throat slit. Investigation revealed that the goons had killed the four to loot.