JAGATSINGHPUR: As many as 10 persons, accused of killing a night watchman posted at the office of Rural Development department divisional office here, were acquitted by District and Sessions Judge Anand Charan Behera due to insufficient evidence.
The victim, Somnath Das of Chatara village, was gunned down by unidentified miscreants from close range on May 24, 2015 on the premises of the office. The murder was apparently related to tender fixing and extortion. Das had invited the wrath of the assailants as he had thwarted their extortion bids on several occasions.
There was no eyewitness to the murder as it occurred during wee hours. Jagatsinghpur police had registered a case and arrested 10 persons for their alleged involvement in the case. During trial, 31 witnesses were examined. Judge Behera observed that prosecution had ‘miserably failed’ to establish witness in the case.