Banka Murder Mystery Cracked; 2 Accused Held By Police In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: With the arrest of two persons, the Commissionerate Police on Tuesday claimed to have cracked the mystery over the death of Nabaghana Patasani alias Banka, whose body was found recently from Baramunda area in Bhubaneswar.

Police said that Banka, whose body was found after he went missing, was murdered and two persons allegedly involved in the killing have been arrested. The two have been identified as Banti and his associate Bijay Nayak.

Following the recovery of Banka’s body, a case was first registered at Bharatpur police station and the two accused were arrested after a thorough investigation, Commissioner of Police Sanjeeb Panda said.

Regarding the motive behind the murder, Panda said accused Banti was working with Banka, who had promised him some money in return. However, after being unable to get any money, Banti decided to kill him.

After making a plan, Banti called the victim to a hotel room and allegedly stabbed him to death with a knife. After stuffing the body in a bag, he hired a car and disposed of the body in Gobindpur area. The weapon of offence and his clothes were dumped at another place, police said.

The weapon used in the crime, blood-soaked clothes of the accused and the vehicle used to transport Banka’s body have also been seized by the police, they said.

Though the hotel room was cleaned after the crime, the forensic team found blood stains. The victim’s vehicle had been given to some other persons from whom he had taken a loan of over Rs 3 lakh. Police will take the accused on remand to for interrogation and further investigation, while the house will also be searched,” said Panda.

Banka was into real estate, tractor and JCB business and the accused Banti used to help him in the business.