ROURKELA: What was initially suspected to be a fatal road accident turned out to be the aftermath of brutal abduction, robbery and murder of the car owner, a Jharkhand native, with one of the accused dying when the stolen car crashed during the trio’s attempted escape in Sundargarh district on Tuesday morning.
The incident came to light around 5 am on Monday when a Maruti Suzuki Alto, travelling at high speed towards Bhedabahal, veered off the coal corridor road near Khamarbahal within Bhasma police limits in the district. One occupant, Subhendhu Sekhar Mukhi (20) of Lefripada, died on the spot, while Bhumeswar Behera (19) of Hemgir and a juvenile from Kinjirkela sustained injuries and were admitted to the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital.
Police investigation later revealed that the three were involved in the abduction, robbery and murder of the car owner, Shivdhan Lohar (20) of Chaingada in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Sundargarh SP Amritpal Kaur said Lohar had brought a patient to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sundargarh late on Sunday night. His friend, Anmol Malik of Talsara, was accompanying him in a Scorpio SUV.
While returning towards Talsara around midnight, three motorcycle-borne assailants chased Lohar’s Alto and Malik’s SUV between Subdega and Talsara Chowk. Malik managed to escape, but the attackers intercepted Lohar’s car. They dragged him out, stabbed him and robbed him of his purse and other valuables.
The assailants then forced the injured Lohar into his own car, drove to the Duduka railway overbridge under Hemgir police limits, stabbed him multiple times again and dumped his body into a stream beneath the bridge before fleeing with the stolen vehicle.
According to the SP, the accused met with the fatal accident while speeding towards Bhedabahal in the stolen car.
Soon after Lohar went missing, Malik lodged a complaint at Talsara police station, suspecting he had been abducted. A special police team led by Sundargarh Additional SP Nirmal Mohapatra was constituted, drawing personnel from neighbouring police stations. The case was cracked within hours, aided by the confession of the injured juvenile, police said.
Police have registered a case of abduction, robbery and murder at Talsara police station, while Bhasma police have registered a separate unnatural death case relating to the crash.
Investigators seized the stolen Alto, a steel knife believed to have been used in the murder, and the victim’s looted belongings.
Police said the deceased accused, Subhendhu Sekhar Mukhi, had previously been involved in a murder case registered at Lefripada police station. The criminal antecedents of the other two accused are being verified.