ROURKELA: Hemgir police in Sundargarh district on Monday arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in the murder of a 35-year-old mentally unstable man whose decomposed body was recovered from near a cremation ground two days ago.
The accused are Bibek Luhura (20) of Lefripara, Sunil Kalo (25), Saroj Rout (27) and Jasketan Luhura (20), all of Hemgir block. Police said the four accused murdered Satyakam Kua of Sumra village over a missing motorcycle.
Kua went missing on February 3 and his decomposed body was found lying near the cremation ground of New Balinga village in Hemgir on February 7.
Sundargarh sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Nirmal Mohapatra said investigation revealed that Satyakam was mentally unsound and used to roam around in the area. On the day of the incident, accused Sunil found his parked motorcycle missing from near a coal mine. As Satyakam was found loitering in the area, he suspected that the mentally unstable man might have hid his bike.
The SDPO said Sunil confronted Satyakam at the New Balinga village market and assaulted the latter while inquiring about his motorcycle. Later, Sunil with the help of the other three accused forcibly took Satyakam to a secluded spot and severely assaulted him. When the victim collapsed and became unresponsive, the four accused fled the spot. Since the crime scene was not usually frequented by villagers, the crime went unnoticed for several days.
Mohapatra said based on allegation of the deceased’s family members and circumstantial evidence, police picked up the four accused for questioning. During interrogation, they confessed to have committed the crime. The accused were arrested on murder charge and produced in court.