BERHAMPUR: Two persons were arrested for killing a 35-year-old man whose body was recovered from a water body near Kadamasing village in Ramgiri area of Gajapati district on June 24, police said on Sunday.
Accused Atul Prasad Dalbehera (25) and his cousin Biswabhanu Pradhan (27) murdered Ramachandra Nayak of Kadamasing over past enmity, said Gajapati SP Jatindra Panda.
Briefing mediapersons, Panda said Atul of Anogha village bludgeoned the victim to death with a stone and the blunt side of an axe over previous enmity. After committing the crime, he informed his cousin Biswabhanu about the incident and sought his assistance to destroy evidence. With the help of Biswabhanu, Atul initially hid Ramachandra’s body in a nearby forest.
On June 25, the duo dragged the victim’s body out of the forest, tied it with a wooden stick and stone, and threw it in a water body near the village. They also destroyed the victim’s mobile phone to erase evidence, said the SP.
After being unable to find Ramachandra, his family members lodged a missing complaint with police the next day. Acting on the complaint, police launched a search to trace the victim. While the search was underway, some villagers found the injury-ridden body of Ramachandra in the water body.
As the body bore multiple injuries, police registered a murder case and detained seven persons for questioning. During investigation, Ramachandra’s dispute with Atul came to the fore. Subsequently, Atul was apprehended on Saturday and during interrogation, he confessed to have committed the crime with help of his cousin Biswabhanu.
On Sunday, police arrested Biswabhanu and recreated the crime scene with the help of the two accused. The stone and axe used in the crime besides the victim’s damaged mobile phone and blood stained clothes buried near the murder scene were recovered. The accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, the SP added.