Ankit Kumar's body was cut into two and the body parts were stuffed in two gunny bags and dumped at separate places in Jhanduta sub-division, Bilaspur Superintendent of Police S R Rana said.
Kumar, a resident of Samoh village, was missing since July 13, Jhanduta MLA Jeet Ram Katwal said.
He was studying at a polytechnic college at Kalol.
During search of the missing student, police received information that a body had been found at a deserted place in Samoh, about 500 metres away from Kumar's house, Rana said.
When police reached there, they found the lower part of the body in a gunny bag, he said, adding it was in a highly decomposed condition.
Kumar's father Prakash Chand identified his son from a mark on his leg, the SP said.
Within half an hour, the police found the upper part of the body in the forests of the Baroha area in another gunny bag, he said.
Rana said a team of the state forensic science laboratory (SFSL), Mandi will collect the evidence from the spots.
The police have got some leads in the case which cannot be shared at this moment, he said.
Expressing hope to solve the murder case soon, the SP said efforts are on to question some suspects.
MLA Katwal, while expressing his condolences to the grieved family, urged the people to remain alert to avoid the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Addressing a presser, Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police Santosh Nayak informed that the accused Sanjay was into an illicit relationship with the deceased Mantu Patra's wife Aruna for the last two years.
The accused had come in contact with Patra's wife Aruna through Facebook and later both fell in love with each other. Police said Aruna had lied to Sanjay that she was unmarried.
According to police, Aruna had hatched the conspiracy to kill her husband after the latter came to know about their relationship.
Sanjay used to frequently travel from Haryana to Dhenkanal to meet Patra's wife and give her money.
"The accused Sanjay was in a relationship with the woman for last two years. We nabbed him from Dibrugarh with the help of some army personnel where he was posted," said Nayak.
Nayak further informed that Patra, who was the owner of a jewellery shop, was brutally hacked to death by Sanjay inside his house at Minabazaar of Dhenkanal town on September 3.
After committing the crime, Sanjay had immediately returned back to his village. Aruna was earlier arrested in connection with the crime.
Puri: Absconding main accused of Puri lodge owner and lawyer Chandan Behera’s murder, Narendranath Das alias Litu surrendered before the Puri SDJM court today. Following his surrender, Litu was taken on a 5-day remand by the police.
Till now, police have arrested 8 persons including wife of Chandan, Nibedita Behera in connection with the murder case.
Police now expects to unearth more details pertaining to the case with the surrender of the main accused.
Also Read: Puri murder: Wife conspired to eliminate Chandan for property
Police investigations till now have revealed that Chandan’s wife was the mastermind of the murder and in a bid to take over his husband’s property, she hired the contract killers.
Notably, Chandan was murdered on the Sai Kutir Lodge premises situated under Sea Beach Police limits on January 8. Chandan was attacked by 2 miscreants while entering the lodge premises on a scooter along with his friend Krushna Chandra Pradhan.
However, the mastermind Narendra Das aka Litu is yet to be apprehended by the police.
According to sources, police have seized two billhooks, one machete and a revolver from the three arrested accused.
As informed by Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi, Chandan came from Rourkela and started his business by opening Sai Kutir restaurant. He bought the land for the purpose with help from the three arrested accused Jaga, Kapila and Barju. In exchange, Chandan had made arrangements for employment and free food at the hotel for them. However, dispute arose when Chandan put the hotel on lease following which the three accused murdered him.
“We have arrested the three main accused and they have confessed to their crime. We have also recovered weapons of offence from them. We are interrogating them, but prima facie it looks like a property-related assault and killing,” the SP pointed out.
Also Read: Advocate murder in Puri: 3 accused held
On the other hand, the Puri Bar Association’s cease-work stir continued for the second day today. The association is unmoved on its demand seeking transfer of the Puri SP.
“We are questioning his mode of functioning. As per our scheduled deadline, we will continue our stir following which we will have a meeting and decide our further course of action,” said secretary of the Puri Bar Association, Sarada Samal.
According to police sources, the accused have been identified and two special teams have been formed which are conducting raids at various places to nab them.
On the other hand, the Puri Bar Association began its 3-day cease work protesting the deterioration in law and order situation in Puri town. Bar associations of different districts also supported the stir launched by the Puri bar.
Similarly, the High Court Bar Association also held 1-day cease-work demanding the arrest of the culprits.
Also Read: Puri advocate murder: Lawyers to launch state-wide cease-work tomorrow
“Police is putting in all efforts to arrest the culprits. All the available telephone details and call records are being verified. Till now, we are not able to trace out the whereabouts of the assailants. We have formed two teams and are investigating the matter,” said Additional SP of Puri, Bana Bihari Sahoo.
“We launched a cease-work stir today and all the lawyers have boycotted court. We have also received support from the bar associations from across the State including the Orissa High Court,” said President of the Puri Bar Association, Premanand Mohanty.
Protesting failure of police to nab the assailants involved in the murder, the lawyers’ association in Puri today staged demonstrations and road blockade in front of the Collector’s office.
Citing the deterioration in law and order, the protestors also demanded the transfer of Puri SP.
Also Read: 5 persons detained in Puri lodge owner murder
“Till the time the accused are arrested and in view of the negligence of SP in maintaining law and order in the City, we demand his transfer and have decided to launch a 3-day cease work,” said Puri Bar Association president, Premananda Mohanty.
“The manner in which Chandan was murdered mercilessly, we condemn it. As a mark of protest, we will boycott court tomorrow and urge the state government to take immediate action,” said vice president of Orissa High Court Bar Association, Kali Prasad Mishra.
Notably, Chandan was murdered on the lodge premises situated under Sea Beach Police limits last night. Chandan was attacked by 2 miscreants while entering the lodge premises on a scooter along with his friend Krushna Chandra Pradhan.
OTV has accessed accused Jagannath Pradhan's last WhatsApp message sent to his family in which he blamed deceased for destroying his life.
'Rinky (deceased’s nickname), whom I loved dearly, destroyed me completely. I am not in a condition to live further. I have lost my mental balance and I will not return...” portion of accused Jagannath’s last WhatsApp message read.
The accused, who allegedly attempted suicide after killing Priyanka with a sharp weapon, also apologised to his elder brother and sister-in-law for any mistake he might have unknowingly committed in the past through the message he posted on the family WhatsApp group.
Accused Jagannath’s mother had earlier said he and Priyanka were in a relationship before she got married to another man. However, Jagannath never contacted her after her marriage and moved to Bangalore. Later, Priyanka re-established contact with Jagannath when he returned home from Bangalore following the announcement of the nationwide lockdown last year.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s father Sarat Sahu said he did not know the accused youth and demanded stringent punishment for him for killing his daughter.
“As the youth was present at the scene of crime and a sharp weapon was lying beside him, it is clear that he had committed the murder. It is left for God and judiciary to decide if he deserves life imprisonment or death penalty,” the bereaved father said.
The deceased’s brother said his sister and brother-in-law had good marital relationship. “I never saw them quarrelling. My brother-in-law is a very good person and we used have lots of fun while together,” he added.
The deceased’s aunt said, “Our son-in-law called up Priyanka’s father yesterday (Monday) and asked him to reach Bhubaneswar immediately. He broke the news of murder after reaching Bhubaneswar. The relationship between Priyanka and our son-in-law was good. The accused youth might have been creating a false narrative to justify the act. He will get the punishment as per law.”
As per the complaint, the accused took the minor girl, a Class I student, to his house and raped her.
Following the incident, villagers tried to hush up the matter but as no action was taken against the accused, the family members of the girl lodged an FIR at the Buguda Police Station today.
Meanwhile, police sent the minor girl to Buguda Community Health Centre (CHC) for medical examination after receiving the complaint. Senior officials informed that a probe has started to nab the accused youth who is absconding.
“The family members of the girl and villagers tried to settle the matter. A police complaint was registered only after the parties failed to reach any conclusion. We have registered a case and started investigation into the matter,” informed Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Buguda Police Station, SS Mandhata.
A six-year-old girl was allegedly murdered after rape in Jatni area of Khurda district on April 12. The incident had sparked off tension in the area with locals staging a road blockade. Later, Commissionerate Police tagged it as ‘Red Flag’ case and assured prompt investigation.
As per reports, the three persons including two brothers of a former local sarpanch Ajay Behera were attacked with sharp weapons by some miscreants in broad daylight near Pattnaikiya Chhak on Cuttack-Puri National Highway.
Sources said, all the three succumbed to injuries on the spot, following which irate people vandalised some vehicles on the highway and also staged a road blockade.
With the blockade on the highway leading to disruption in vehicular communication, police reached the spot and tried to placate the irate mob.
“As the situation is tense at present, 10 platoons of police have been sent to the spot. A detailed investigation will be carried out into the incident,” said Puri SP Umashankar Das.
Though the reason of the murder is yet to be clear, it is suspected that past enmity could be the reason behind it. It is believed that the incident is connected with the murder of the deceased’s brother and former sarpanch Ajay Behera a few days ago.
Though the exact reason behind the murder is yet to be ascertained, police have begun probe into the matter suspecting it to be case of some past rivalry. However, family members alleged that Shankar was killed following some dispute over love affair.
According to reports, the deceased Shankar Pahan was attacked by three to four miscreants in front of a petrol pump in Kesapur yesterday. The incident occurred when Shankar, who was returning home after filling petrol in his bike, was attacked by the miscreants with a wooden log.
“We had no idea about his love relationship. It was only a couple of days back when the girl's family members locked our house. As a result, we had left the village four days back," said deceased Shankar’s mother.
Shankar’s sister said, “We were spending last few days in panic. We had also left the village as we did not want the situation to get worse."
Meanwhile, senior police officials could not be contacted over such allegations. However, a probe into the brutal murder is underway.
A young self-dependent woman starts from office towards her home, is found brutally murdered after being raped the next day… A middle aged married woman, mother to 2 teenagers doesn’t return home from grocery shopping in the evening… A class 11 girl is gang-raped by her own friends… A 10 yr old school student molested by her own teacher… This is how our culturally great nation has headlines in most of its newspapers every day. We take pride in such culture and our heritage puts us among the greatest civilizations of the world. REALLY!!! Imagine being a father waiting for your daughter to return from work but the next day you mourn over her mortal remains of a burnt body… Imagine you are staying away from your parents in a hostel and you receive a call at night that your mother or sister has been raped!!! Imagine yourself as a young working professional and your girlfriend, with whom you have planned to spend the rest of your life, is found by the police raped and dead in a deserted area…
FEAR!!! Each time when some female that you care about steps outside of her safe zone… FEAR!!! That she may not be safe even when inside her home… FEAR!!! That she may be the next victim of monsters in the guise of human… What a term “HUMANS”!!! Supposedly the best creation of God, with the ability to think, apply conscience and cooperate and live as a society. It is rightly said that good and bad are the two sides of the same coin. The best creation has turned out to be monsters the worst kind that could ever set foot on the planet.
Recently one of my friends said, she doesn’t trust anyone and would have to think twice to hail a cab or to return home from work alone. And it struck me hard. I have read in the newspapers about men raping women be it someone as young to be classified as an infant or as old to be a grandmother. Worst of all, society blames women for being raped, and it includes women blaming women too for that. Is it? Does someone wearing a salwar who has probably acknowledged you smiling at her, invited you to get on the bed with her? Does a small kid who doesn’t even know what a monster looks like, thinking you are an uncle who may love her innocence and hold her in your arms and give her chocolates, ask you to devastate her? And how would any woman trust any man now? Even if she gathers the courage to fight, what does the society do? It blames her. What do the police do? They harass her. Some cases have come to light recently when the police are the criminals. So what is next? The so called protector is the real culprit. How do you tackle this? And the judiciary… Who can forget our lawyers who fight for justice? They even take up cases of proven criminals, molesters, rapists, murderers, terrorists… All for money? Are they not equally responsible? Is this what a human society looks like? Is this the great and rich culture and heritage that we take so much pride in?
These events have shaken me to the core. Unable to sleep, disturbed mind… Rage filled within. And of course FEAR!!! I ask the society today. Is it really what you want to happen? Are candle marches enough? Is it not the responsibility of society as a whole that such incidents happen? Is it not the duty of every parent to teach their children to grow up to be better men and women? What does the government do to ensure safety for each individual? Is it not one of the basic duties of any government? Is it not why people elect them and pay for the luxurious life that every politician leads? Are they not responsible for stricter laws and punishment for such heinous crimes? And instead, many times they are found shielding these sorts of criminals. Does it not make them as bad as these criminals and does it not make us, the voters, fools? Lastly, our Police… I sometimes think of whether they are present to catch criminals or just to scare the common man. The way the victims get harassed in most cases is just horrendous. When asked about their actions to bring the criminals to justice, all they do is either give those routine answers or get angry that they are questioned so.
And we say, “Mera Bharat Mahaan” but the movie 16 December aptly has an extension to this, “100 mein se 99 beimaan”. Neither is it just the government nor the police. We collectively as a society have failed time and again. All we have done is fight among ourselves over petty issues and history has time and again shown us that we are an absolutely failed society, never truly owning our original cultural values or heritage. We, THE SOCIETY, have failed our women. We, THE SOCIETY, have failed ourselves. Because without each other, our society will cease to exist. So my dear MEN, let's take a pledge to treat our women wih respect. And my dear women, I as a man, am sorry.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same)
The sarpanch’s husband, Bhagaban Swain and his associate Aditya Ransingh were reportedly returning from the panchayat office at around 2:30 pm on Saturday (on a two-wheeler) when they were attacked near Jokalangi bridge crossing.
"We had to stop near Jokalangi bridge as the road was blocked with GI wires. Suddenly, around 10 people attacked Bhagaban and Aditya with sharp weapons,” an eyewitness narrated the incident adding, “Seeing the fierce attack on both of them, I got frightened and flee the stop.”
Both Bhagaban and Aditya reportedly suffered severe injuries in the attack and were rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack by some locals. However, the duo succumbed to the grievous injuries.
"Aditya had several enemies because of his involvement in some suspicious activities. We suspect the attack was on him, but as Bhagaban was with him, the miscreants didn't spare him too,” said Radha Binod Panigrahi, Cuttack SP (Rural).
“Though it is clear that the attack was pre-planned, the case is currently in a premature stage. The police officials reached the spot with a scientific team without any delay after receiving the information and are investigating the case,” added Panigrahi.
Meanwhile, three platoons of police force have been reportedly deployed in the village to avoid any untoward incident.
Later in the day, a video came into fore which records the dying statement of Bhagaban. Before breathing his last breathes he named few of the miscreants as Pandav Pradhan, Bhramar Pradhan, Kumar Pradhan, Kalia and Balia. Bhagaban in his last statement said, “Around 15-20 men attacked, hacked my legs and fleed the spot.”
Aditya’s brother said, “Past enmity is a possible reason behind the attack as Sarpanch’s husband was with us.”
Family members have alleged that the workers of the ruling party are behind the murder plot.
“The family members have filed FIR against three persons and more are suspected to be involved in the murder plan. We are focusing on every possible angle to collect the clues and are carrying out the investigation,” informed Alekh Chandra Pahi, Cuttack Additional SP (Rural).
It is alleged that all of them were hacked to death by Kali Munda- younger brother of the deceased Kande Munda. Though the exact reason behind the brutal murders is unclear, it is suspected that all the four persons were killed over some family feud.
Following the incident, senior police officials reached the spot and have started a probe into the incident.
According to police, Kali Munda had earlier given some money to his elder brother. Moreover, there was also some dispute over property.
“There was an altercation between Kali and his brother Kande over the money yesterday. In a fit of rage, Kali attacked Kande, his wife and two children with an axe,” said Brajakishore Das, ASI Bonai Police Station.
Das informed that the accused Kali has been detained and further investigation is on.
As per reports, the punishment was pronounced by the Khurda sessions judge. The court also fined the accused Rs 50,000, sources said adding that Parida broke down during the hearing inside the court.
Parida, a Lieutenant Colonel and engaged as doctor in the Army, had executed the horrific crime nearly seven years back at his bungalow located in Nayapalli area of the capital city. After killing his wife, Parida kept her body parts in kitchen containers and polythenes and stayed with it inside the house for 20 days.
Several sharp-edged weapons and other equipment were used for chopping the body which were seized.
The matter had come to light on June 22, 2013 after Ranjan Samal, the brother-in-law of the accused, visited the house along with other relatives to inquire about his sister who did not respond to repeated phone calls from their children staying abroad.
As Parida did not open the door, the relatives attempted to open a window and peek inside when they realised that foul smell was emanating from the house.
After being informed, police swung into action and found the source of the stink coming out of two kitchen containers in which body parts were stuffed. Sources said family dispute was the prime reason behind the crime.
(With PTI inputs)