Police in Berhampur on Thursday arrested nine individuals, including a brother and sister, in connection with the abduction and murder of a 47-year-old real estate developer in the Gopalpur area of Ganjam district, approximately one week ago.
Body Recovered from Ketamani Hill
The highly decomposed body of the victim, Sudhir Kumar Patra (47), a resident of Satyanarayanpur near Gopalpur, was recovered from Ketamani hill under Sorada police station limits on Wednesday.
Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) Niti Sekhar stated that the main accused are Nibedita Patra (23) and her brother Tushar Patra (19), who are the niece and nephew of the deceased. The charges against them include kidnapping for ransom, criminal conspiracy, extortion, destruction of evidence, and murder. Nibedita has completed her post-graduation, while Tushar is a second-year BBA student.
Property Dispute Led to Crime
Preliminary investigations revealed that a property dispute between the families of the deceased and the prime accused triggered the crime. Their father died in June last year, and the siblings allegedly hired contract killers to eliminate their uncle.
Police said that one of Nibedita's boyfriends, identified as Kalu Charan Pradhan (28) of Badaborsingi, assisted her in arranging the contract killers. According to police, the victim was abducted at gunpoint on the evening of April 15 from the Dura area while returning home. He was first taken near Mathura in Polasara, after which the accused switched vehicles and transported him to Ramapada forest near Buguda.
Victim Brutally Assaulted
Superintendent of Police (Ganjam) Subhendu Patra, who is also in-charge of Berhampur, said the victim was brutally assaulted with wooden planks, and firearms were discharged near him to terrorize him. The assault was allegedly recorded on video and sent to his wife, demanding a ransom of Rs 2 crore. Due to severe injuries, the victim died at the spot.
After his death, the accused transported the body in a car and dumped it near Ketamani hill in an attempt to destroy evidence. The group later went into hiding at different locations.
Arrests and Seizures
Besides the brother and sister, those arrested include Kalu Charan Pradhan (28) of Badaborsingi; Jitun Polai (33) of Alapur near Hinjili; Narayan Pradhan (28) of Ramanda near Buguda; Ashish Mohapatra (25) of Biranchipur, Buguda; Subham Nayak (20) of Kharida near Hinjili; Subham Gouda (20) of Saru; and Surya Pratap Singh (28) of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, currently residing in Surat. Police said criminal cases were pending against Jitun Polai and Narayan Pradhan.
Two cars, a country-made 7.65 mm pistol, and 14 mobile phones were seized from the accused. Police said the accused frequently changed SIM cards to evade detection. The SP said some more persons were involved in the crime, and efforts are on to trace and arrest them.
