BHUBANESWAR: A 32-year-old man was hacked to death by two drunk autorickshaw drivers metres away from the Bhubaneswar DCP’s office late Tuesday night, raising serious posers about law and order in the Capital. The deceased, Soumya Ranjan Kundu of Nimapada, who has a betel shop near Vani Vihar Square had gone out to fetch water when he came under attack.
The incident occurred at about 2 am along the city’s prominent route, Janpath and a stone’s throw away from the Urban Police District of Bhubaneswar. The Sahid Nagar Police station is not far from the crime scene either. Besides, the incident took place on the eve of Ganesh Puja celebrations when Commissionerate Police claimed to have mounted patrolling and surveillance.
Police said locals saw Soumya being mercilessly attacked and alerted police who reached the spot and shifted him to Capital Hospital from where he was referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). However, he succumbed to the injuries.
The deceased is survived by his wife and a child. Bhubaneswar Police arrested the two accused - Papuni Das and Kabu Das, both auto-rickshaw drivers. The two knew Soumya and had an altercation with him about 10 days back. They were reportedly opposed to him opening a fast food shop near his kiosk about two months back.
Police said Soumya used to sleep inside his kiosk so that he could open the shop in the wee hours every day. Last night, he stepped out to fetch water when he was spotted by Papuni and Kabu near a jewellery store. The duo - in an inebriated state and armed - intercepted Soumya and attacked him.
“The accused involved in the crime have been arrested. The weapon of offence has been seized from them,” said Bhubaneswar DCP, Prateek Singh. Meanwhile, in another incident, the body of a 25-year-old woman was found under mysterious circumstances at her rented accommodation in Shastri Nagar under Kharvela Nagar police limits on Tuesday night.
The victim had some marks on her neck and based on her husband’s complaint, the police registered a murder case. According to the police, the victim Subhashree Mohapatra spoke with her husband Anant Narayan Nath over the phone at about 6.27 pm and minutes later, she dropped her son at the tuition teacher’s house.
When the teacher telephoned her at about 7.30, she did not respond. The teacher went to drop the boy at his house and found the door open. Inside, they found her lying unconscious and informed her husband. She was shifted to a hospital where the doctors declared her received dead.