Ex-judge in murder plot: Two contract killers nabbed

Cuttack: The city police today claimed to have arrested two contract killers who had allegedly picked up a woman from the house of a former judge in Bhubaneswar and threw her into river Mahanadi here after tying her hands and legs last week. Police said they have seized the car that was used in the case and a part of the contract money from the possession of one of the arrested person.

Speaking to newsmen here the city DCP S Praveen Kumar said at least five persons were involved in the incident who were engaged by the former judge to eliminate the woman. An acquaintance of the judge`s family had negotiated with the contract killers. "We are on the look out of the remaining contract killers and are hopeful that they would be apprehended soon," said the DCP adding that the key accused in the case were apprehended by a special squad of the city police from Jatani area of Khurda district.

On subsequent search, police recovered around Rs 1.5 lakh from the house of one of the arrested persons, which was part of the Rs 3.5 lakh contract money they were paid by the former judge`s family. The arrested include Bapi alias Prashanta Mallick and Biju alias Bijan Mallick. Both of them belong to Pipili area of Puri district, police said. Police had earlier arrested the former judge, his wife, their advocate son and the acquaintance, who had negotiated with the contract killers to eliminate the woman from the judge`s house.

The woman, who is now recuperating in SCB medical college and hospital here had claimed that the former judge`s advocate son had established sexual relationship with her on the promise of marriage. She also claims that after she had conceived and refused to abort the pregnancy, the family had started torturing her and engaged contract killers to eliminate her.