Jagatsinghpur: The estranged boyfriend of the 24-year-old woman, whose half-naked body was found on April 20 a day after her engagement ceremony, hired a contract killer from Jamshedpur to eliminate her.
According to Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Verma, the prime accused, Suryakant Swain (30), orchestrated the killing due to a toxic mix of jealousy, a failed long-term affair, and financial disputes involving the property and insurance investment. Swain was arrested from Jamshedpur, and police conducted a crime scene reconstruction on Thursday during which he reportedly confessed to the crime.
Sasmita Das, a resident of Kathiapada village, had got engaged on April 19 at her maternal uncle’s house in Dhuanpari under Tirtol police limits to a man from Bhadrak. The wedding was reportedly scheduled for May 10. On the evening of April 20, she left home around 8 pm, reportedly after receiving a call, and never returned. Villagers found her half-naked body in a green gram field with deep injuries to her neck and face inflicted by a sharp weapon,
Police investigation revealed that Swain, originally from Kulamundilo in Jagatsinghpur district, runs an auto parts business in Jamshedpur, where he lives with his wife and son. He is also involved in trawler operations in Paradip and Astarang. The two had met in 2016 and entered into a relationship. “When the woman came to know that Swain was married, she started distancing herself. However, he assured her that he would marry her and purchased a homestead plot worth Rs 12 lakh in 2020 and invested Rs 10 lakh in an LIC bond in her name. Sasmita’s Aadhaar card also contained Suryankant’s details,” Verma said.
In 2024, Sasmita filed a rape case against him, resulting in his arrest. He was later released on bail after a compromise. Subsequently, Swain transferred the land to a relative and severed contact.
The situation worsened recently when Sasmita informed Swain that she was in a relationship with another man from Bhadrak and planned to marry him. She reportedly asked him to prematurely liquidate the LIC bond and hand over the proceeds. Enraged and unwilling to lose the financial stake, Swain allegedly decided to eliminate her. He paid Rs 2 lakh to a contract killer and travelled with the assassin on his scooter to Jagatsinghpur on April 18, staying in a local lodge.
On April 19, both the accused and the hired killer attended Sasmita’s engagement ceremony. On April 20 afternoon, Swain contacted her and lured her to an isolated spot near the Pakanpur warehouse under the pretext of settling the LIC bond money. The contract killer, hiding nearby, allegedly struck her from behind with an iron chopper. As she fell, Swain reportedly snatched the weapon and repeatedly hacked her neck and face.
After confirming that she had died, the duo fled on the scooter, taking her mobile phone with them.
The SP added that the weapon used in the crime and Swain’s mobile phone have been seized and efforts are underway to nab the absconding contract killer.
