BERHAMPUR: Police on Tuesday arrested a 15-year-old boy on the charge of murdering a Youth Congress leader of Sorada whose decomposed body was recovered from a house at Gopalpur in Ganjam district.Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said the juvenile, a resident of Bhanjanagar area, was working as a helper in the fast food joint owned by the deceased Jagannath Nayak (37) of Khairputi village in Gangapur. He killed Jagannath as the latter was reportedly not paying his wages and torturing him.
The SP said Jagannath, who was the president of Sorada Youth Congress, ran the eatery at Gopalpur and stayed in a rented house along with the juvenile helper and a cook. He often used to visit his native village and remained in touch with his family members over phone regularly.
However, from November 29, he neither contacted his family members nor picked up their calls. Worried, his family launched a search in areas near Khairputi and but could not trace him. Subsequently on December 3, his brother Purna Chandra along with some friends reached the house rented by Jagannath at Gopalpur and found it locked from outside.
As pungent smell was coming out of the house, they suspected foul play and informed police which rushed to the spot, broke open the door and found the body of Jagannath in a highly-decomposed state.Vivek said during investigation, police found out that Jagannath knew the juvenile since the last one year and had engaged him as a helper when he used to run a fast food joint at Gangapur. He had assured to pay the minor Rs 1,500 per month but never gave him his wages. Whenever the boy asked for money, Jagannath verbally abused and assaulted him in public.
Two months back, Jagannath shifted to Gopalpur and also brought the juvenile with him to work in his eatery. He used to regularly tease the boy by making vulgar comments on his sister. When the minor tried to leave the job, Jagannath threatened to lodge false police case against him on the charge of theft. Recently, the boy’s sister was verbally abused by Jagannath in front of others when she demanded the minor’s wages. Humiliated, the boy then decided to kill Jagannath.
On November 28, the cook left for his village leaving Jagannath and the boy alone in their rented house. The next morning, the juvenile got up early and found his employer sleeping. He brought a heavy stone and smashed Jagannath’s head with it. He also hit his head with an iron door clamp. Jagannath sustained critical injuries and died on the spot. After committing the crime, the boy locked the house from outside and fled.The SP said the accused minor was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, Berhampur. Police have seized the stone and iron door clamp used in the crime and further investigation is underway.
