Bhubaneswar: Unknown masked assailants brutally killed a 20-year-old youth and left his father and sister critically injured in Khandagiri Police Station limits in Bhubaneswar, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena said on Monday.

The gruesome murder took place during the early hours on Monday near the Kholathia Chowk area of Khandagiri.

The deceased has been identified as Krushna Chandra Padhi alias Buddhi (20), a second-year +3 (undergraduate) student and a resident of Sorada in Ganjam district.

The victim's father, Himanshu Padhi (54), a priest at a local temple, and his sister, Tapasi Padhi, were grievously injured while attempting to rescue Krushna from the attackers.

Sources claimed that the victim’s father went into a coma and is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

Speaking on the incident, DCP Meena stated that the victim’s family had been residing at the landed plot of a relative at Kolathia in Bhubaneswar along National Highway-16 for the last 20 years. The victim's mother passed away about a year ago, leaving the family with only three members.

“The deceased’s sister told us that two masked assailants came to their house during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday and attacked Krushna with an iron rod. Upon being informed, police reached the spot and rushed the injured persons to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, where the victim Krushna succumbed while undergoing treatment on Monday morning,” Meena added.

He also revealed that the deceased's father, Himanshu and sister, Tapasi, also came under attack while trying to save the victim. The accused assailants fled the scene after committing the crime. The police suspect that the murder may have been the result of previous enmity and have launched an investigation by examining CCTV footage and other evidence.

Following the incident, Bhubaneswar DCP visited the crime scene along with senior police officials and supervised the investigation. Police questioned local residents to gather information, while a scientific team collected forensic evidence from the spot.

Meanwhile, the local residents stated that the victim, as well as his family, has no enmity with anyone.