ROURKELA: The blood-stained body of a missing Rourkela-based businessman was found in a roadside bush near Gamhardihi within Kutra police limits in Sundargarh district.
The deceased, 60-year-old Binod Daruka, was missing from Friday. His body was recovered on Saturday morning and preserved for identification. The murder came to light on Sunday after family members identified the body as that of Daruka.
Incidentally, Daruka’s female domestic help was found murdered alongside NH-143 near Chandiposh in Rourkela on February 12.
Sources said Daruka left his residence at the posh Civil Township on Friday evening in his SUV. When he did not return home in the night, his family members launched a search. After failing to trace him, they lodged a missing complaint in RN Pali police station on Saturday morning.
Police said Daruka’s last location was near Gambhardhi on Kutra-Birmitrapur road before his mobile phone became switched off. On Saturday, Kutra police recovered an unidentified body from a bush, around 60 km from Rourkela. The body was preserved in the morgue of Rajgangpur Area Hospital. Subsequently, the body was identified as that of Daruka.
While it is yet to be ascertained if the two murders are related, Kutra police on Sunday afternoon recovered Daruka’s SUV from state highway-10 and detained three persons. Relatives of Daruka informed Kutra police about presence of his SUV in Rajgangpur. The vehicle was recovered with the help of Rajgangpur police.
Reliable sources said before leaving, Daruka had desperately asked someone over phone to arrange Rs 90 lakh for him.
Sundargarh SP Pratyush Diwakar said it appears that the businessman died due to a fatal injury on the back of his head. Police are investigating his death from all angles.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said a team of RN Pali police is assisting Kutra police in investigation. Asked if the murders of Daruka and his maid have any common link, he refused to comment and said investigation is underway.
Daruka’s maid went missing on February 10 and her body was found lying under a bridge along NH-143 after two days. Police said unidentified miscreants slit her throat elsewhere and dumped her body near Chandiposh. The perpetrators of the crime unsuccessfully tried to burn the body to hide her identity.