SAMBALPUR: Police on Wednesday arrested a 38-year-old man for his alleged involvement in the broad-daylight murder of a meat trader near Kirba chowk in Burla here three days ago.
Prabhat Ranjan Dhala alias Titu (38), a resident of Kirba, is the chief conspirator in the murder of meat trader Md Anish Qureshi (36), said police. He allegedly provided firearm and ammunition to Raja Swami, the prime accused in the case.
Police said following the murder, Swami was arrested and taken on remand. During interrogation, he reportedly disclosed that Dhala had supplied the country-made pistol along with ammunition used in the murder. Two live 7.65-mm rounds and a mobile phone were seized from Dhala. The firearm allegedly used in the murder had earlier been recovered by police.
Anish was reportedly shot dead near Kirba chowk on August 29. Swami, who was living as a tenant at Anish’s house in Burla and working at his meat shop, was later arrested after reportedly confessing to the crime.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Anish had allegedly not paid Swami’s salary for the past few months. Repeated demands by Swami for clearance of the pending dues had reportedly led to resentment between the two. Police suspected that a fresh confrontation over the pending dues on the day of the incident led Swami to open fire at the meat trader.
Police said Dhala is involved in several criminal cases registered at Burla police station between 2006 and 2022. The accused was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Police are now probing the source of the weapon and the circumstances under which it was procured and supplied.