Prime accused in murder of Khunti priest arrested

Rourkela: Eight days after the brutal murder of Abraham Biswal Surin, Father of Gossner Evangelical Lutheran (GEL) Church at Khunti town in Jharkhand whose mutilated body was found under a railway over-bridge in Rourkela on May 6, the Government Railway Police (GRP), Rourkela today arrested the prime accused and forwarded him to the court.

Giving details to the media, IIC of GRP, Rourkela, James Samad said the accused, Mohammad Haider, had revealed during interrogation that the Father had taken a loan of Rs 10,000 from him in January this year. But as he did not return the money to him despite several reminders, he decided to eliminate him.

“The accused finally succeeded in his plan when he came to know about the visit of the Father to Rourkela on May 5 and arrived in the city a day before his arrival. After the Father arrived at the Rourkela railway station from Hatia on Tapaswini Express in the evening on May 5, he met him at the station and requested him to visit the house of his friend at Rehmat Nagar in the city. On the way, he suddenly attacked the Father with an axe. After killing him, he threw his body under the railway over-bridge and fled,” the IIC said.

He said the GRP, in the course of its investigation, found the involvement of Haider in the murder of the Father after identifying him from the CCTV footage at the Rourkela railway station and tracking his call records.