As per villagers, the accused has married four times and none of his wives spent more than six months with him.

Bhubaneswar: A tribal has been arrested on charges of raping and murdering his 72-year-old mother under the influence of intoxicants in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, the police said on Sunday.

The 45-year-old tribal allegedly raped the woman multiple times, leading to her death, reports said.

According to the police, accused Hari Marandi dragged his mother inside the house while she was brooming in front of the house at Dambaru Dahar village of the district on Saturday morning.

While the woman managed to free herself from his clutches, he again dragged her inside and raped her in an inebriated state. He committed the crime when other family members were away from their house in Dambaru Dahar village, the police said.

The accused did not stop there. He then repeatedly raped his mother in frequent intervals. After around half an hour, the tribal woman rushed out and collapsed in front of the thatched house. Shocked neighbours gave her water where the victim narrated her ordeal.

“I saw him dragging his mother inside. After some time, I saw him taking out her clothes and then raping her in the veranda,” an eyewitness said.

While the villagers were planning to rush the woman to hospital, she breathed her last due to severe pain. The incident has shocked the people in the locality.

“I informed the police after I came to know about the incident. This is deplorable and the accused should not be spared. He should get harshest punishment,” a villager said.

“As per eyewitness accounts, accused Hari Marandi raped his mother and murdered her. We have arrested the accused under Sections 376 and 302 of Indian Penal Code (IPC),” Betnoti sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Dhirendra Nanda said on Sunday.

As per villagers, the accused has married four times and none of his wives spent more than six months with him. He was abusive and used to snatch all the pension money his mother used to get every month.