BHUBANESWAR: Two days after a man was murdered near Mukundaprasad village in Khurda district, police on Tuesday arrested three youths for their alleged involvement in the crime.
The accused - Biswajeet Moharana (23), Mukesh Sethi (26) and Ashish Pattnaik (20) - were nabbed from Sadar police limits after raids were conducted in various parts of the district. Moharana and Sethi are residents of Poda Sahi. Pattnaik, a native of Jagatsinghpur district, was also staying in the same locality.
Police said the accused and the victim, SK Sajid (28) of Mukundaprasad village, were known to each other. The murder was pre-planned. However, the exact motive behind the crime is yet to be ascertained.
As per the plan, Moharana asked Sajid to meet him at a field near Carmel School at around 12 pm on August 18 to discuss about a business matter. When Sajid arrived on the spot, he found Sethi and Pattnaik accompanying Moharana. He tried to flee but the trio caught him near a garage and assaulted him with sharp weapons. In a bid to save his life, a grievously-injured Sajid barged inside the garage. However, the accused continued to attack him.
Khurda SP Awinash Kumar said following the murder, Industrial Estate police registered a case and four teams were formed to nab the accused. It is suspected that the trio murdered Sajid over a business rivalry.
Meanwhile, the curfew imposed in several wards of Mukundaprasad mouza and Khurda municipality remained in force on Tuesday.