Missing businessman found dead in cashew forest in Odisha's Dhenkanal; family suspects foul play

The body of a missing businessman was found under mysterious circumstances in the Godaribili cashew forest under Tumusinga police limits in Dhenkanal district on Sunday. The deceased, Ranjan Sahu, hailed from Kotgara village and ran a grocery shop at Pandua market.

As per information, Ranjan had left home yesterday for his shop but went missing around 1pm. When he did not return home, his family began searching but could not trace him. On Sunday morning, his body was recovered from the cashew forest.

Family Raises Allegations of Murder

Bhubanananda Sahoo, the deceased’s brother, said, “We left the house together as usual for the shop. Later, he went out again. When I returned home for lunch, he hadn’t come back. In the evening, we tried to contact him and realised he had left his phone at home. That made us suspicious. We started calling friends and relatives to check if he had gone to any of their places, but no one had seen him. Today, we received the news that he was found dead. We do not believe it was a suicide; we strongly suspect foul play.”

Local Resident Found Body and Motorcycle

Local resident Sisirkant Behera, who first reached the scene, said, "I got the news around 7:30am and immediately rushed to the spot. I found him lying dead in the cashew forest, and later discovered his motorcycle in a nearby field. He was a good person with no enmity towards anyone. All of us here suspect that he was murdered.”

Police and Forensic Team Begin Probe

Following the recovery, Kamakhyanagar SDPO Rajanikant Samal, Tumusinga police officials, and Pandua police arrived at the location and reviewed the situation. A forensic team from Dhenkanal also reached the spot and began a detailed examination.

SDPO Samal said, “We have not yet received a formal complaint from the family. We reached the location based on information provided by local residents. Once the family submits a formal complaint, we will investigate the matter further.”

The exact cause of Ranjan’s death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report.