JAJPUR: Nearly a week after a 25-year-old man was shot dead near Kalimegha, Jajpur Town police on Sunday arrested his wife, her paramour and three other persons for their alleged involvement in the murder.
Police said Somya Sagar Samal was killed by prime accused Tapas Kumar Khilar (27) with the help of the deceased’s wife Shubhashree Samal (24). Tapas’ sister Priti Prabha Priyadarshini (24), Ankit Thakur (35) and Suraj Singh (36) allegedly assisted in the crime.
According to police, Subhashree and Priti used to work in a beauty parlour in Jajpur town in 2020. During the course of time, the two women reportedly entered a same-sex relationship. Subhashree frequently visited Priti’s house where she met the latter’s brother Tapas and fell in love with him. Later, Tapas established a physical relationship with Subhashree on the promise of marriage, said police.
However, Subhashree married Somya on July 14, 2024 but reportedly continued her affair with Tapas. Police said when Somya came to know about his wife’s extra-marital affair and same-sex relationship, he allegedly warned Tapas and Priti to stay away from Subhashree. Enraged, Tapas hatched a plan to eliminate Somya.
Police said Tapas, who works as a driver in Rourkela, contacted Ankit and Suraj to purchase a country-made gun. He reportedly bought the gun from Rourkela’s with the duo’s help and returned to Jajpur town on March 31.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Jajpur Town Prasant Kumar Majhi said Tapas paid Rs 49,000 to the gun suppliers through his sister’s PhonePe account. He also paid Rs 9,000 to the suppliers at the time of delivery of the gun.
On the night of April 6, Somya was returning home after closing his shop when Tapas allegedly shot him near Kalimegha. The next day, Somya succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
The SDPO said based on the complaint filed by Somya’s brother-in-law, police registered a case and seized Subhashree’s mobile phone for investigation.
“While verifying the call detail record (CDR) of her phone, we found over 1,300 outgoing and incoming calls to a particular number. After collecting the details of the number, police apprehended Priti. Based on her revelation, we nabbed the prime accused and the gun suppliers. The deceased’s wife, Tapas and Priti executed the murder plan,” said Majhi.
Police recovered the gun used in the crime from the bed of Baitarani river. The weapon of offence, a motorcycle and seven mobile phones were seized from the accused.
Police also took Tapas to the spot of murder for crime scene recreation. All the accused were produced in court on Monday and remanded in judicial custody.