PHULBANI/BERHAMPUR : Tikabali police in Kandhamal district on Thursday recovered the body of a 31-year-old man who had reportedly gone missing from Sankarakhol panchayat under Chakapad block three days ago.
The deceased was identified as Venkatapati Nisantu Pradhan, the son of Sankarakhol sarpanch Janaki Pradhan. His body was recovered from a pond near Sankarakhol.
Sources said Nisantu was a vocational teacher in Sankarakhol higher secondary school. He went out for a walk on Monday morning but did not return home. Worried family members launched a frantic search but could not trace him. The same evening, his mother filed a missing person report in Tikabali police station.
On Thursday, some villagers spotted Nisantu’s body floating in a pond at Adabadi village near Sankrakhol and raised an alarm. On being informed, police rushed to the spot, seized the body and sent it to Phulbani district headquarters hospital for postmortem.
Sarpanch Janaki alleged that unidentified miscreants murdered her son and dumped his body in the pond. She filed a complaint with police in this connection.
Police sources said several clues have emerged that suggest foul play in Nisantu’s death. When the man left home, he was wearing a half-pant, T-shirt and a pink shawl. His slippers were found near the pond but the pink shawl was missing.
Police said a murder case has been registered in connection with the incident. After postmortem, the deceased’s body was handed over to his family on Friday. The exact cause of death can be ascertained after the autopsy report arrives. Investigation is underway from all angles to determine the circumstances leading to Nisantu’s death.