ROURKELA: A 42-year-old pharmaceutical executive was found murdered in Civil Township under RN Pali police limits on Saturday.
Preliminary investigation suggested he was hit on the head with a beer bottle, leading to fatal injuries. Rourkela police has detained two of his acquaintances in connection with the incident.
The deceased, identified as Bhagirathi Swain, worked as marketing manager of a pharmaceutical company’s veterinary division. He had shifted to Rourkela from Cuttack on Thursday and was staying with a friend.
Police said, two of his acquaintances, Balaram Das and Pankaj Pradhan, had invited Swain to their rented house in Civil Township for a feast on Friday night.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said preliminary investigation suggested Swain was beaten to death following a drunken altercation but declined to share further details.
However, a police officer familiar with the investigation said direct involvement of one of the two acquaintances has come to surface. He claimed that Swain was struck on the head with a beer bottle, leading to his death.
Police found Swain’s body in a pool of blood from his friend’s house. Blood oozed from his head as well as nose.
Swain’s father-in-law, Ajit Swain, who arrived in Rourkela, alleged that the murder was premeditated and part of a conspiracy. He claimed that Das previously had a serious dispute with his son-in-law while they were working together in Bhubaneswar. Following the dispute, Das allegedly left the company, joined another pharmaceutical firm and began residing in Rourkela.
He was sharing the rented accommodation with Pradhan, who continues to work in Swain’s company. Ajit further alleged that his son-in-law had been transferred to Rourkela against his wishes and forced to join urgently which suggest a large plan was at play. He demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.