BHUBANESWAR: In a ghastly incident, a 38-year-old man was brutally killed by the husband of a woman, who he was allegedly in relationship with, at Mahipur in Nayagarh district. The assailant then set his body ablaze to destroy all evidence. The bones that were not consumed by the fire were then allegedly crushed and thrown in a pond nearby, said Nayagarh police. The murder came to light during investigation into the disappearance of Sailendra Jena, police said.
According to police, Sailendra, an LIC agent and native of Cuttack, was reportedly in an illicit relationship with Sunita. She had met Sailendra when she was staying with her husband Dipu , a ‘dahi bara’ seller in Cuttack. The couple stayed in Cuttack for around 10 years before returning to their village about a year back but Sailendra kept visiting them frequently.
Police said, when Dipu had come to know about his wife’s affair with Sailendra, he confronted him on December 3 during a visit to his house. Dipu’s friend Surya Sahoo was also present at that time. A heated exchange turned ugly and Dipu and Surya attacked Sailendra and killed him on the spot.
The police suspect the accused used an iron rod to kill the victim. Sunita, her mother-in-law (85) and the couple’s two minor children were present when the incident took place. Dipu, his father and Surya reportedly took the body to an isolated place, around 1.5 km from the couple’s house, setting it ablaze there. They left the spot and returned on December 4 morning when the accused crushed the body parts and threw them in a pond nearby.
Sailendra’s friend, who had accompanied him to Nayagarh, returned to Cuttack and informed his family members regarding his mysterious disappearance after which a missing persons complaint at Lalbag police station was lodged on December 4. Police then visited Sunita’s house and got the first breakthrough when her elderly mother-in-law confessed about witnessing the crime.
“Sunita did not inform police about the murder and was aware of the destruction of evidence. She and Surya have been arrested,” said Nayagarh SP Alekha Chandra Pahi. He said a search operation to nab Dipu and his father who assisted him in disposing off the body has been launched.