BHUBANESWAR: A 24-year-old man was mowed down and killed by six persons in a Mahindra Thar SUV over a dispute linked to a love triangle, in Chandrasekharpur area of the capital city in the early hours of Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Barun Rautray. Two of his friends Alok Mallick and Balabanta have sustained serious injuries in the attack and admitted to hospital.
Police said the accused persons chased Rautray and his two friends, who were on a motorcycle, and ran over the two-wheeler in Chandrasekharpur area at around 2 am in the night. While Rautray died on the spot, his companions sustained serious injuries.
Police said one of the accused Suraj Biswakarma (23) was in a relationship with a woman. Rautray, a diploma holder in electrical engineering and working as an air-conditioner mechanic, had reportedly become close to the same woman, leading to a conflict between the two men.
On Friday night, Rautray and his friends allegedly went to Mahima Juice Centre in Sailashree Vihar where Biswakarma worked. They had an altercation with Biswakarma as well as the juice centre owner Bramhananda Das (36). Bramhananda’s brother Chidananda (31), and three others Ashish Dehury (30), Swastik Bhardwaj and Sridhara Nayak (20) were also present at the spot.
The accused allegedly attacked the trio with sticks before they attempted to escape on a motorcycle. Police said the group then pursued them in a Mahindra Thar and a two-wheeler. They allegedly intercepted Rautray near Acharya Harihar Mahavidyalaya at Niladri Vihar and ran over them.
Police, initially, treated the case as a road accident. However, a murder case was registered basing on the statements from the injured.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said a manhunt was launched immediately after the incident and all six accused were nabbed. “Prima facie, the murder appears to have stemmed from a love triangle dispute. The accused have been booked on charges of murder,” he said.
The police have seized the SUV and the two-wheeler used in the crime.
