JAJPUR: Police on Friday arrested another person for allegedly trying to run down Dasarathpur tehsildar Abinash Biswajit Sethy with a tractor. The accused was identified as 20-year-old Ganesh Jena alias Chulubulia, the tractor driver from Ahiyas Puruna Sahi within Mangalpur police limits. On Thursday, police had arrested sand smuggler and tractor owner Papi Sahoo in this connection.
Jajpur SP Rahul PR said the second accused in the attempt to murder case has been arrested and the tractor seized. He was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Chulubulia had allegedly tried to run down the tehsildar with a sand-laden tractor near Pallisahi sand ghat in Kasapa panchayat on Wednesday. Sources said after receiving a tip-off about illegal sand mining on Baitarani river bed, Sethy along with other revenue officials had gone to Kasapa.
On seeing the tehsildar’s vehicle, most of the smugglers fled with their sand-laden tractors. Sethy alighted from his vehicle near Pallisahi ghat and managed to stop the sand-laden tractor driven by Chulubulia.
When Sethy asked Chulubulia to turn the tractor towards the road connecting the ghat, the latter tried to mow him down at the behest of Papi who was present at the spot. Sethy dodged the incoming tractor by jumping into a nearby pit. Following the incident, the tehsildar had lodged a complaint against Papi and Chulubulia with Mangalpur police.