BHUBANESWAR: In a grisly incident, a hotel staff member allegedly killed his co-worker in the early hours of Wednesday, reportedly upset for not being served fish curry at dinner.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. at Maa Taradei Hotel near Damana, within Chandrasekharpur police limits.
According to the police, the deceased, Pitambar Jena (65) of Sorada in Ganjam, had been working as a manager at the hotel for many years. The accused, Binod Sahoo of Parjang, was employed as a cook.
Jena had fish curry for dinner on Tuesday night, but the dish was not offered to Sahoo.
Upset over the matter, Sahoo had a heated exchange with Jena, following which he attacked Jena with a paniki (cutting tool) around 4 a.m.
Police are investigating whether the incident occurred while Jena was asleep. "Upon receiving the information, we reached the spot around 5 a.m. The accused was apprehended from a nearby area and taken into custody," said Chandrasekharpur police station Inspector-in-Charge Prakash Chandra Majhi.
Jena’s body was sent to Capital Hospital for post-mortem, and a case of murder has been registered. The accused is being questioned to determine the exact motive behind the crime, police said.
This is the second murder reported in the state capital within a week. On the night of October 25, a 59-year-old man allegedly stabbed his brother-in-law to death and attacked three others, including his son, over a family dispute in Mendhasala, under Chandaka police limits. The accused was arrested the same night.