JAGATSINGHPUR: Police on Sunday arrested two persons for allegedly murdering a betel shopkeeper at Jogdhari chowk in Jagatsinghpur.
The accused are Kartik Nayak (30) of Abhidhanpur and Sabyasachi Routray (30) of Chakuliapada. Police said the duo killed Gyanaranjan Pothal (38) of Gopa village on Friday.
Police sources said Nayak contacted Pothal on Friday evening and invited him for a booze party to celebrate the purchase of a new motorcycle. At around 8 pm, Nayak and Routray reached Pothal’s betel shop with liquor. The trio consumed liquor together.
At around 9 pm, a quarrel broke out among them when Routray misbehaved with two of Pothal’s customers. The accused reportedly assaulted Pothal following which the latter brought out a sword and asked them to leave the spot.
However, Nayak and Routray snatched the sword, overpowered Pothal and dragged him to the back of his shop where they hacked him to death. The duo threw the murder weapon near the spot and fled.
On Friday, the deceased’s brother-in-law Surendra Biswal filed an FIR in Jagatsinghpur police station. Based on the complaint, police registered a case and started investigation.
SP Ankit Kumar Verma said both the accused were planning to escape but police acted swiftly and managed to nab them. The duo was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.
