BALANGIR: Mystery shrouds the death of Balangir Chamber of Commerce president Tripurari Panigrahi whose body was found along the railway tracks near Khujenpali here on Monday.
A prominent businessman of the district, 61-year-old Panigrahi of Bhagabati Nagar had reportedly gone missing on Sunday night. Sources said when the businessman did not return home in the night, his family members launched a search for him but to no avail. In the morning, some locals spotted his body with a severe head injury along the tracks.
Ruling out suicide, Panigrahi’s associates suspected that he might have been murdered over some business rivalry. “As he was involved in high-value transactions, we also suspect that extortion might be a motive behind his murder,” they claimed.
Panigrahi was into the business of selling gold bars and owned a jewellery store in Balangir. Recently, he had entered into the real estate business and was involved in the Silicon Valley Housing project.
OIC of Government Railway Police (GRP), Balangir Prabin Kuanr said, “On being informed, we rushed to the spot and seized the body. After identification, it was sent to the hospital for postmortem. Preliminary investigation suggests Panigrahi might have fallen from a running train. The exact cause of his death can be ascertained after the autopsy report arrives. We are investigating the case from all angles.”
Police are also scanning the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area for clues. Sources said police are yet to locate Panigrahi’s train ticket.
After the postmortem in the afternoon, Panigrahi’s last rites were performed by family members. On the day, major business establishments downed their shutters to mourn Panigrahi’s death.