JEYPORE: Koraput’s Nandapur police on Wednesday arrested two persons including a woman on charges of kidnapping and murdering a trader in May this year.
The accused are Shankar Khara (33) and Rukmani Pani (23) of Dasgoudapur village in Lamataput block. Police also exhumed the skeletal remains of the victim, identified as Somnath Jani (35) of Mediput village in Nandapur area, and sent those for autopsy.
Sources said Jani went missing on May 16 while he was on way to Nandapur from his village. Later, his father lodged a complaint with Nandapur police alleging that Jani had been kidnapped.
Police registered a case and during probe, got information that the trader was abducted by some of his business rivals. Further investigation revealed that Jani was murdered and his body buried at Halua Tota cremation ground in Rayagada. Police along with scientific team rushed to the spot and exhumed the skeletal remains of Jani. Subsequently, Khara and Pani were apprehended.
Nandapur IIC Mamata Panda said during interrogation, the two accused confessed to their involvement in the kidnap and murder of the trader. The duo along with four other accused abducted Jani and took him to Rayagada where they killed him by smashing his head on a hard surface. They then buried his body in the cremation ground to conceal their crime.
Panda said the deceased’s skeletal remains were sent to SLN medial college and hospital, Koraput for autopsy. The accused duo was produced in court. “Efforts are on to nab the four other accused involved in the crime. Further investigation is underway,” the IIC added.