PARADIP: Even after two days of intensive search, police are yet to locate the body of a youth from Bihar who was allegedly murdered by his co-worker near a factory in Paradip in February this year.
The delay in tracing the 23-year-old man’s body has posed a major challenge for Paradip Lock police and their Bihar counterparts who inspected the alleged burial site and even deployed an excavator machine on Sunday but to no avail. The search operation was launched after the accused, who is now in police custody, confessed to murdering Gorekh Kumar of Mouna within Nasriganj police limits in Rohtas district of Bihar.
Sources said Gorekh arrived in Paradip in December 2024 in search of work. He was later employed as a contractual worker at BS Heavy Industries Pvt Ltd in Paradip. According to his family members, Gorekh last communicated with them on February 2, 2025. Thereafter, his mobile phone remained switched off. When they contacted his co-worker Ajay Kumar, also of Bihar, the latter reportedly misled them with false information about Gorekh’s whereabouts. Subsequently, Ajay fled Paradip and went into hiding.
On February 18, Gorekh’s brother Dillip Kumar lodged a missing person’s complaint with Paradip Lock police. The family also filed a complaint in Nasriganj police station.
In March, Nasriganj police arrested Ajay and during interrogation, he confessed to have killed Gorekh following a dispute over money on February 2 inside their shared room on the factory premises. He reportedly hit Gorekh with an iron pan on the head, leading to his death. Fearing consequences, Ajay allegedly buried the body behind the factory and fled.
Following his confession, Nasriganj police brought Ajay to Paradip on May 18 for crime scene recreation. Police teams from Nasriganj and Paradip jointly inspected the site where Ajay claimed to have buried the body, with an excavator machine. While Gorekh’s shoes and the iron pan used in the crime were recovered, his body could not be traced.
Additional SP of Paradip Smruti Ranjan Kar said efforts are underway to find the body. A forensic team has also been deployed to assist in the investigation. “Since the murder is believed to have occurred four months back, decomposition and concealment of the body cannot be ruled out. The case is being thoroughly investigated on basis of the accused’s statements and other evidence,” he added.