Dhenkanal: Police today arrested Subash Khuntia, a close aide of Rakesh Nath-the main accused behind killing of the district’s BJD youth wing president Jasobant Parida on March 25 last month.
Khuntia was nabbed from Kainbila village at Kamakshyanagar in Dhenkanal district. Police also seized a mobile phone from his possession.
Earlier on April 5, police had arrested eight persons, including the mastermind Rakesh. While two of them were held from West Bengal, six others were nabbed from Talcher in Angul and Begunia in Khurda district.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Khuntia had informed the contract killers about the whereabouts of Parida.
Police informed that Rakesh was involved in tender fixing and extorting money from a construction company in Kamakhynagar. Parida, as a local public representative had started intervening in the matter following which the company had stopped paying Rakesh.
The matter worsened after Rakesh’s father, who worked in the same company was fired from his job.Nursing a grudge, Rakesh, along with his associates plotted a plan to kill Parida and hired some contract killers.
On the fateful day, while Parida was in his car a group of miscreants came in an SUV and hurled eight bombs at his vehicle. As Parida ran for life, the armed miscreants fired five rounds of bullets injuring him critically. Parida sustained bullet injuries on his head and was rushed to SCB Hospital in Cuttack where doctors declared him brought dead.