BERHAMPUR: As Ganjam police arrested nine persons for their alleged involvement in the abduction and brutal murder of 47-year-old realtor Sudhir Patra, lurid details of the ghastly plot in which the victim’s niece and nephew were the masterminds have come to fore.
After failing to trace the realtor for seven days, police on Thursday said the crime stemmed from a long-standing family dispute over real estate business and ended in bloody vengeance.
Among the nine accused are the deceased realtor’s niece Nivedita Patra (23) and nephew Tushar Kumar Patra (19), the key conspirators of crime.
Police said preliminary investigation revealed that Sudhir was engaged in a joint real estate business with his elder brother Manoj, who died in 2025. Following Manoj’s death, tension escalated between the two families over the business. Manoj’s son Tushar and daughter Nivedita reportedly suspected Sudhir’s involvement in their father’s death through black magic.
The siblings allegedly contacted Kalu Charan Pradhan, another accused, and shared details about Sudhir’s movements. The trio along with other associates then hatched the kidnapping plot.
Police said Sudhir was abducted in an MUV and later shifted to another car before being taken to a forest under Buguda police limits. There, he was brutally assaulted with wooden planks. The assailants also fired gunshots to intimidate him and recorded the assault on mobile phone. The video clip was later sent to his family via WhatsApp while demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore. After Sudhir died, the accused switched off the phone used to send the video, disposed of the body in a remote forest area and fled.
Sudhir was abducted from Gopalpur on the evening of April 15. The following day, his wife lodged a complaint alleging that unidentified miscreants had kidnapped him at gunpoint. Based on the complaint, a case was registered and an investigation launched. However, police failed to trace the realtor.
On Wednesday, Sudhir’s decomposed body was recovered from a forest road near Ketamani hills under Surada police limits, nearly a week after the abduction.
The other accused were identified as Ashish Mohapatra (25), Narayan Pradhan (28), Shubham Nayak, Shubham Gouda (20), Surya Pratap Singh (28) and Jitun Polei (33). While Surya hails from Surat in Gujarat, the rest are from Ganjam, said IG (Southern Range) Niti Sekhar.
Police seized two vehicles used in the crime, 14 mobile phones and a country-made firearm from the accused, who were produced in court. Police are likely to seek their remand for further interrogation. Efforts are underway to trace other persons involved in the crime.