BHUBANESWAR : Balangir Police arrested two persons who allegedly stoned a 26-year-old man to death and tried to portray it as a suicide to escape the cops’ attention in Deogaon village within Deogaon police limits.
However, police cracked the case and nabbed the two killers who had allegedly attempted to make it look like the victim Sushil Bag had died by suicide by jumping in front of a train.
Initial investigation revealed the accused duo Aman Sagar Nanda and Khetramani Senapati murdered Bag on a bridge near the railway station and then dumped his body on the railway tracks.
Police said Nanda, Bag and Senapati consumed alcohol together on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. All three were labourers and knew each other for last three to four years.
Police said the victim reportedly made some indecent comments about Nanda’s mother following which a heated exchange broke out between the duo. An angry Nanda smashed Bag’s head with a stone, killing him on the spot. Nanda and Senapati later dumped his body on the railway tracks to make it appear like a suicide. They covered his body with sand and stones before fleeing.
Bag’s body was crushed by a speeding train but his face was not dismembered which made it easy for police to establish his identity. Bag’s photo was circulated on a WhatsApp group and the cops ascertained his name and found out that he was staying with his maternal uncle.
Though it appeared to be a case of suicide, police noticed blood stains far beyond the spot where Bag’s body was recovered. The investigators followed the the blood trail and eventually landed at the crime scene. After ascertaining that Nag was murdered, police collected his call detail records and also examined the CCTV footage available in the area. Subsequently, police apprehended Nanda and Senapati in connection with the crime.
“The incident took place at about 2 am on Tuesday. Police and district forensic science laboratory officials visited the spot to investigate the matter. Fingerprints from beer bottles and blood stained stone used by the accused to kill Bag were seized from the spot,” said Balangir SP Khilari Rishikesh Dyandeo.
The SP said efforts are on to collect scientific, forensic and digital evidences during the investigation of the case. The chargesheet will be submitted at the earliest and attempts will be made to ensure the accused are awarded strictest of punishment, he said.