Cuttack: Markat Nagar Police have arrested four persons for allegedly plotting the murder of a businessman in Odisha’s Cuttack city.
Those arrested include key conspirator, Chandan Bhol, a bookshop owner from the Badambadi area, and three assailants — Rakesh Behera, Sisir Jena and Rajesh Nayak, whom he had hired to eliminate a rival book trader operating in the CDA Sector-6 area. A sharp weapon (bhujali), a car, a motorcycle, six mobile phones, and cash were seized from the accused.
According to police sources, the plot involved hiring contract killers for Rs 1.5 lakh, with an advance of Rs 50,000 already paid, but it went awry due to mistaken identity, leading to the brutal assault on the wrong person.
The incident unfolded on April 5 when two unidentified assailants attacked an elderly bookshop owner near Jayprakash Narayan Park in CDA Sector-6 with sharp weapons. The victim sustained severe injuries and was hospitalised. He could not immediately identify the attackers. A case was registered at the Markat Nagar police station.
The subsequent investigation and CCTV footage analysis led police to Rakesh, who was arrested on April 7. He named his associates, who carried out the attack, following sustained questioning. Teams from various districts coordinated in the probe, resulting in the arrest of Sisir Jena and Rajesh Nayak by Angul police, followed by the detention of prime accused Bhol. All four have been forwarded to court.
“We received a report of an attack on an elderly resident of CDA Sector-6 on April 5. The probe revealed it was a premeditated murder attempt. The main conspirator, Chandan Bhol, hired assailants over business rivalry with a competitor bookshop owner in the same area. The assailants mistakenly targeted the complainant, who resembled the intended victim,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Cuttack Zone 3, Ananya Awasthi said.
