Nayagarh: Police on Wednesday took the four accused for crime scene recreation in the alleged murder of a man, who bled to death after his hands were chopped off for allegedly trying to extort money from trucks carrying illegally mined laterite stones in Nayagarh district’s Odagaon area early on Monday.
The accused reportedly confessed to their involvement and demonstrated the attack in the presence of Odagaon police officials and the Sarankul SDPO. Heavy police deployment was made to maintain law and order during the exercise.
The recreation follows the swift arrest of four key suspects on Tuesday, along with the recovery of the murder weapon, a sword, and two vehicles allegedly used in the crime. The arrested individuals are Purna Chandra Nayak alias Dipu, Mohant Nayak of Ruhibanka (Dhabasahi), Manas Behera of Mahapurasahi, and Sridhara Sahoo of Komand village under Makarapada panchayat, all from the Odagaon area. They have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 103(1), 61(2), and 3(5).
According to a police press release and investigation details, the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, around 1:30-2 am, near Kadalibandha. Ajit Sahoo (38) and his associate Santosh Kumar Pradhan (36) were intercepting vehicles involved in the illegal transport of laterite stones. The duo had allegedly been demanding extortion money from operators to allow the smuggling to continue.
Police said Dipu, a truck owner linked to the illegal operations, received information from his driver about the confrontation and arrived at the spot with five others. A verbal altercation escalated into a physical fight. Mohanta Nayak allegedly grabbed Sahoo by the neck and pinned him down, while Manas retrieved a sword from an SUV and hacked his hands. Sahoo’s right hand was completely severed, and his left hand was partially cut off; he succumbed to the injuries on the spot. The assailants fled, later hiding the weapon in a forest area between Abhimanpur and Bhapur under Fategarh police limits.
Santosh managed to escape.
Nayagarh SP S Susree formed special teams that cracked the case within about 12-24 hours. Police revealed multiple motives, including ongoing extortion related to stone smuggling and prior enmity—Sahoo had reportedly slapped one of the accused over a money dispute. Efforts are underway to apprehend the two remaining accused.
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