Bhubaneswar: Eight persons were arrested in connection with the shooting incident in Sishupalgarh under Dhauli police limits in Bhubaneswar that left a JCB contractor dead.
The tragedy, stemming from a financial dispute and late-night alcohol consumption among acquaintances, brought law and order in Odisha capital under close scrutiny.
The deceased was identified as 25-year-old Tapu Nayak, a local JCB machine contractor residing in Sitaram Basti under Khandagiri police limits. Around midnight, he was present in Sishupalgarh where acquaintances and former co-workers had gathered late on Wednesday night to consume alcohol.
According to Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh, those who had gathered at Sishupalgarh were celebrating following the procurement of a firearm and most of them were consuming liquor.
However, a sudden altercation appeared to have erupted over the financial settlement. The prime accused, identified by family members as Umesh Jena, allegedly fired the fatal shot. In an attempt to mislead police, the accused loaded the critically injured Nayak into a vehicle and rushed him to Capital Hospital. He was subsequently referred to another healthcare facility but succumbed to his gunshot wounds.
In a bid to mislead, some group members had initially informed the police that the firing incident took place on Sishu Bhaban-Mausi Maa overbridge. However, detailed investigation and examination of CCTV footages showed that the firing had taken place at Sishupalgarh under the jurisdiction of Dhauli police station, the Police Commissioner said.
Police launched an investigation under the leadership of Bhubaneswar DCP and all the eight accused persons involved in the case were arrested within hours, he said, adding that the weapon of offence was also seized.
A formal written complaint was lodged by Manasi Nayak (24), wife of deceased Tapu Nayak.
The arrested accused were identified as Somanath Swain (28) of Mahavirnagar in Jharpada, Umesh Kumar Pattanayak (30) of Nayagada, Bishnuprasad Samanataraya @ Pikun (23) of Sishupalagada, Ratnakar Sahoo @ Babul (23) of Nayagada, Alok Jena (30) of Nayagada, Manas Swain (39) of Jagatsinghpur, Akshaya Pradhan (36) of Khordha, Kalinga Keshari Patra (23) of Kataka and Chitrasen Gajendra (32) of Khordha,
During investigation, police seized a 7.65 mm pistol, stated to have been used in the crime, along with one live ammunition, and an empty cartridge. Further investigation is in progress to ascertain the exact motive behind the firing.