CUTTACK: A week after murder of Sri Sri University’s hostel supervisor Sunil Ranjan Sahu in firing at Netala Chowk near Godi Sahi police outpost, Commissionerate Police claimed to have solved the case with arrest of the accused and seizure of the weapon used in the crime.
The accused has been identified as Niranjan Behera (25) of Allamchand Bazaar under Lalbagh police limits. Police also seized one 9 mm pistol, two empty magazines, two empty cartridge cases, a motorcycle, helmet and a mobile phone from his possession.
Briefing mediapersons, Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty said Behera had shot Sunil to death to avenge the sexual advances and mental torture of a woman by the the latter.
Sunil, while working as an administrative officer in a private college at Dhenkanal, had developed intimacy with a lady lecturer. Later, though Sunil left the job and joined as hostel supervisor at Sri Sri University, he was in touch with her and making physical advances despite her opposition, police said.
Being annoyed, the woman reported the matter to Behera who happens to be her childhood friend. Behera hatched a conspiracy to kill Sahu and went to Munger in Bihar to procure the pistol, magazines and three bullets at a cost of `25,000.
On November 25, he waited at Netal Chowk to kill Sahu. As Behera was previously known to Sahu, he stopped and parked his bike on the roadside to interact with him. Behera gunned him down and fled on his motorcycle towards Bidyadharpur. On the way, he concealed the pistol in a bush and went to Dhenkanal.
“Behera was arrested on Sunday from his house. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and helped police identify the place where the gun was concealed,” informed the Police Commissioner.