Extramarital Affair Whiff In Odisha Photographer’s Murder, Three Arrested

Rayagada: Police have cracked the murder case of a Rayagada-based photographer with the arrest of three persons, Additional SP Shankar Prasad Dwivedy told the media on Sunday.

The photographer, Bobila Rajkumar, was found hanging in his house in Rayagada town on Thursday. His family, however, had alleged foul play and lodged a police complaint.

Following an investigation, police arrested auto-rickshaw driver Lingalu Simanchalam alias Simba and his two aides Saberis Kumar and Balaram alias Babu Padhi on Saturday night.

Revealing details, the ASP said Lingalu had struck a friendship with Bobila around six months ago. Following this, Bobila used to frequently visit Lingalu’s house, where he got into an illicit relationship with the latter’s wife.

However, Lingalu got wind of the affair and plotted to kill Bobila.

“On the evening of August 1, Lingalu told his wife that he will be out of town to drop some passengers. Lingalu’s wife conveyed this information to Bobila, who then went to their house to take advantage of the situation,” Dwivedy said.

But Lingalu was hiding nearby and saw Bobila enter his home. “The accused locked the door from outside and called his two aides Saberis and Balaram. The trio then severely thrashed Bobila, killing him on the spot,” the ASP added.

Later, they covered the body with a blanket and took it in the auto-rickshaw to his rented house at Kapilash Road late at night. They then hung the body from the ceiling to make it look like suicide, the police officer informed.

The three accused will be produced in a court on Sunday, he added.