ROURKELA: The murders of Rourkela-based businessman Binod Daruka (64) and his female office help P Deepa (34) are being surmised to be the fallout of an extortion bid gone awry.
While police are tight-lipped about the investigation, reliable sources privy to the case details claimed Deepa was engaged in cleaning job at Daruka’s office and both had a long association. Deepa’s younger sister tried to convince Deepa to help her extort hefty money from the businessman. However, several attempts to persuade Deepa to be a part of the extortion plan failed.
Subsequently, Deepa went missing on February 11 and her half-burnt body with her throat slit was found near Chandiposh bridge, around 30 km from Rourkela. Searching for his maid, Daruka inquired with Deepa’s sister about her whereabouts and he was reportedly told that she had gone somewhere and will return in a couple of days.
In the meantime, Daruka also went missing after leaving his residence at Civil Township in his SUV on February 14 evening. His body was recovered from a roadside bush near Gambhardihi along Kutra-Birmitrapur road, around 55 km from Rourkela and 85 km from Chandiposh.
Sources said after finding common links in both the murders, police grilled Deepa’s sister and at least four other culprits who reportedly spilled the beans. For an air-tight case, the investigators are conducting desperate search for two other culprits who are on the run.
Police believe that Deepa’s sister first took Daruka to Hathibari and then to Gambhardihi where she killed him by inflicting fatal injuries on the back of his head. Before his murder, Daruka had asked a close acquaintance to arrange Rs 90 lakh for him and it is suspected the extortion attempt went wrong for the culprits and the businessman was killed in a haste.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Daruka’s brother Pawan lodged a complaint of kidnap and murder in Kutra police station which had earlier registered an unnatural death case. On the day, Rourkela police with help of fire services personnel searched Brahmani river near Panposh bridge to recover the weapons used in both the murders.
Refusing to divulge any detail of the investigation, DIG (western range) Brijesh Rai said significant breakthrough has been achieved in the murders and all the culprits would be arrested soon.