KENDRAPADA: In a case of misdirected affection, a 72-year-old widower married his 24-year-old daughter-in-law at Jagatsinghpur's Sapur village under Balikuda police limits. Shocked, the villagers recently ostracized Renuka Mallick and her father-in-law Harihar Mallick and ordered the couple to leave the village for breaking age-old social tradition. Both were staying in a rented house at Kendrapada's Bagada village.

On Saturday, some villagers of Bagada also opposed to their staying in the village and informed police. Cops went to the village and lodged Renuka in a short-stay home at Kendrapada and detained Harihar. "We are investigating the case," said IIC of Kendrapada Sadar police station T Pradhan.

While Harihar's wife died five years ago, there is no news about his son Bichitra Mallick after he went to Bangalore to work as a mason four years ago.

