Rs 30L Supari Offered In Puri Servitor Krushna Pratihari Murder, Says Police  

The hired assasins deputed by the rivals of Puri Jagannath Temple servitor Krushna Pratihari were promised Rs 30 lakh for the hit, police said on Monday. 

The investigators of the Pratihari murder case said they have recovered Rs1,50,000 lakh from the main assasin, Kalu Panigrahi, following his arrest. 

Nevertheless the involvement of temple servitors in the murder has raised many eyebrows. The police have arrested six accused, including two conspirators, for their alleged involvement in the murder. The accused persons have been identified as Kalia Singhari, Dolagovinda Singhari, Muna Patra, Sandeep Jena, Kalu Panigrahi and Baba Mahapatra. 

The police connected the dots of the diaboloc murder case that shook the holy city to its core. 

On August 22, 2012, servitor Talachhu Bhagaban Mahapatra alias Guna Singhari was murdered. Police subsequently arrested six persons, including servitor Krushna Pratihari alias Kalia Padhiari for murdering Guna. However, the Puri SDJM court had acquitted all of them due to lack of evidence on January 19 this year. 

The walking away of the accused from jail made Guna’s brother and nephew vengeful. They allegedly started plotting to kill Krushna in a lodge. After failing in their first attempt, they succeeded in the second attempt. To murder Krushna from close range, a deal of Rs 30 lakh was allegedly finalised on March 16. The contract killers were given Rs 2 lakh as advance and rs70,000 towards the firearm. 

Kalia Singhari alias Talachhu Nityananda Mahapatra was the main conspirator, police said. 

He is the elder brother of Guna. Kalia’s son Dolagovinda Singhari is another conspirator. 

It was Dolagovinda who had allegedly contracted the killers and Kalu Panigrahi made the entire blue print and helped the killers to escape. Kalu is the same person who was sentenced to imprisonment for his involvement in the firing at former minister Maheswar Mohanty in 2014. 

While Baba alias Asish Mahapatra was present at the crime scene,  Muna Patra had allegedly provided firearms, while Sandeep Jena alias Tulia had prepared the detail plan for killers’ escape. 

“Prima Facie, the link to the Guna Singhari murder case has surfaced. However, further investigation will substantiate it,” said SP of Puri, Kanwar Vishal Singh. 

Three suspects including Kunmun Suar, Tutu Mahapatra and Hari Panda are still at large. “Our efforts are on to nab the absconders,” said SP Singh adding they will seek the remand of the accused to ferret out more information. 

The police have recovered Rs1,50,000 from Kalu. They have also seized the pistol used in the crime and bullets. 

The incident has left intellectuals and devotees a dejected lot. Puri District Collector Samarth Verma said, “Our efforts are on to ensure how the amicable relationship among the servitors persists.”

Sarat Raiguru, an advocate, said such incidents are sending out a wrong message about the servitors. “It would be better for one and all to remain abstain from such incidents," he said.