The body of 25-year-old Sadanand Hental was spotted in Sinabaram forest near his village Sarukubedha, Superintendent of Police Akhileswar Singh said.
Hental, who was a community service provider for Odisha Tribal Empowerment and Livelihood programme, was kidnapped on the night of February 2 from his house in Chitrakonda area.
A poster, suspected to have been left behind by the Maoists, was found near the body.
Police sources said that the Maoists probably killed Hental as they were against development work like road construction and strengthening of communication network being carried out through OTELP.
Acting on intelligence inputs about presence of Maoists, security personnel including BSF jawans conducted an operation inside Chittipali forest in Chintrakonda area in Malkangiri district near Andhra Pradesh border, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Akhileswar Singh said.
As the security personnel approached the naxal hide-out, the ultras opened fire which was retaliated by the raiding team leading to a fierce exchange of fire for about an hour, he said.
One Maoist was killed in the gunbattle while the rest of his companions fled from the site, he said.
Police seized two country-made guns, maoist uniforms and other materials from the site. Search operation was going on in the area as part of efforts to track the fleeing red rebels, police said.
The incident reportedly took place late on Sunday night when the accused Ankit Parida, a resident of Kalyan Nagar area of Cuttack, was driving a four-wheeler allegedly under the influence of alcohol when he hit the auto rickshaw. Later, Ankit, who was accompanied by a girl in the vehicle, was nabbed by some local residents and handed over to Mangalabag Police. During investigation, cops found cigarettes and alcohol bottles from the car.
Subsequently, Police brought Ankit and the girl to police station for interrogation. While the girl was released later, Ankit was arrested on charges of drunken driving and causing injury.
Out of all the injured, who are residents of Jagatpur Peer Bazaar area, condition of the auto rickshaw driver is said to be critical.
Speaking about the incident, Cuttack DCP Akhileswar Singh said, "The incident took place on ring road in Cuttack on Sunday night. The accused, who is son of a retired cop, has been arrested. He will be forwarded to court."
As per reports, police recovered the dead couple at around 12:30 AM last night after locals informed the cops suspecting something amiss in the house as their repeated knocks on the door went unanswered.
Cuttack DCP Akhileswar Singh reached the spot and conducted an initial probe. Later a forensic team along with sniffer dogs were roped into action to conduct a thorough investigation at the spot.
“From the prima facie it seems to be murder and a sharp weapon, most probably a knife was used to slit the throat. We will be able to tell more only after a complete investigation in this case," said Cuttack DCP Akhileswar Singh.
Speaking to media, the brother of the deceased said, “My brother had a pace maker planted in his body. My daughter used to call him every night before going to sleep. But last night they didn’t pick up the phone. Upon enquiry, the neighbours informed us about the incident.”
One K Ramesh sustained injuries during a scuffle with police when the latter had gone to nab him on Wednesday night. Later, he was admitted to district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead, Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Akhileswar Singh informed, adding that it will be treated as a custodial death.
An autopsy has been conducted by a team of doctors in the hospital, he said.
“Police received a tip-off yesterday that Ramesh of Baseli Sahi area has some weapons in his possession and was planning to execute a crime. When a team of police chased to catch him, Ramesh attacked the security forces. There was a scuffle between the police and Ramesh during which Ramesh sustained injuries. Some of our officers also got minor injuries. He was taken to the police station and later shifted to hospital after he complained of body pain. He was declared dead by the doctors,” Singh said.
The SP further stated that the accused was recently released from Talcher jail. Several cases were pending against him in Sadar, Sea Beach and Kumbharpada police stations in Puri, Singh informed.
“We are investigating his death as per NHRC's guidelines with respect to custodial death. A DSP rank officer will investigate the case under the direct supervision of Additional SP. Further action will be taken as per law once the investigation is over,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victim's relatives have alleged that Ramesh has died due to police excess. Tension prevailed outside the district headquarters hospital after some locals accompanied by BJP workers clashed with the police.
"A team of police knocked at our door at around 2 am last night. They picked up my husband and were asking him Ramesh's whereabouts. In the morning, we came to know that he is dead," a relative of Ramesh said.
#Odisha DGP on alleged custodial deaths in Puri & Biramitrapur: A team of doctors is conducting autopsy, it is being video-graphed; the probe will be carried out as per NHRC guidelines
— OTV (@otvnews) November 19, 2020
The report, accessed by OTV, has revealed that the body of the deceased bore as many as 16 injury marks which were possibly caused after he was severely hit with stick.
Doctors conducting the autopsy stated that the death of Ramesh occurred due to severe injuries on his head which is evident from the report stating that a clot of around 250 ml of blood was found in the brain of the victim during post-mortem.
The detailed post mortem report has been handed over to the police for investigation, they added.
The police are yet to comment on the autopsy report.
Earlier, the police had claimed that Ramesh, a hardened criminal, had got into a fight with the police when the latter detained him in connection with some pending criminal cases.
Hours after he was picked up by the police, 30-year-old K. Ramesh from Baseli Sahi in Puri was admitted to the district headquarters hospital where doctors declared him dead. His family members have alleged that Ramesh died due to police excess while in custody.
The incident has triggered state-wide outcry with Opposition parties- BJP and Congress-- stalling the winter session of the State Assembly multiple times over the issue.
Following the incident, the State government transferred the then Superintendent of Police (SP) Akhileswar Singh as an immediate measure, ostensibly to quell public outcry.
Later, a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe into the death of Ramesh was filed in the Orissa High Court. The petition sought stringent action against the erring police officials and adequate compensation to the family of the deceased.