JAJPUR: Jajpur Police on Thursday said Ramadevi University student Jharaphula Nayak was killed over Rs 30,000 which she had loaned to her friend and wanted back. After arrest of a third accused in the case, police revealed the motive behind the murder. A joint team of Commissionerate and Jajpur police arrested Shakti Sekhar Swain on Wednesday night.
Jajpur SP Rahul PR said Shakti had assisted prime accused, Rakesh Swain in killing Jharaphula, who was a Plus Three third year student of the university. He said Rakesh had taken a loan of Rs 30,000 from the victim to purchase a motorcycle. However, their relationship turned sour after Jharaphula asked Rakesh to return the money.
On January 24, Jharaphula had gone to Bhubaneswar to attend birthday party of her friend and insisted that Rakesh return the money. Rakesh invited Jharaphula to the city on the pretext of repayment on January 26. He took her to a private guest house in Bhubaneswar where he forced her to consume alcohol.
He then smothered her while she was intoxicated. “Rakesh murdered Jharaphula by smothering her. We suspect he had borrowed over Rs 30,000 from her for purchasing a bike,” said the SP. He said Jharaphula’s viscera test result confirmed presence of liquor in her body.
The SP said Shakti had assisted Rakesh in transporting Jharaphula’s body to Jajpur from Bhubaneswar on a scooter. Jharaphula’s body was recovered from roadside near Mulapala Chowk within Kuakhia police limits in Jajpur district on January 27 morning.
The footage of her body being carried on a scooter by the accused was captured in a CCTV camera installed near the spot. Basing on the footage, police had identified Rakesh and arrested him a day after the body was recovered. Last month, his aide Amaresh Rout was arrested from Sundarpada locality in Bhubaneswar for his involvement in the incident.