Balasore: A hotel owner was allegedly murdered inside his establishment at Jamujhadi Bazaar under Simulia police limits in Odisha’s Balasore district.
The deceased has been identified as Gajendra Panda, a resident of Chhachina village of Balasore. Panda’s lifeless body was found inside one of the hotel rooms on Monday morning. The cook discovered the bloodied corpse wrapped in a blanket on the bed
while he went to offer tea. The cook informed his family and alerted the police.
Simulia police rushed to the scene and cordoned off the premises. Authorities have registered a murder case and initiated a probe into the circumstances surrounding Panda’s death. Forensic teams have been deployed to collect evidence, while investigators began questioning locals and staff to piece together the sequence of events leading to the murder.
Police sources say that Panda was hit with blunt force on the head and the murder could have happened the night before. The miscreants also stole a 2-wheeler of the deceased owner.
Employees were not present at the hotel on Sunday due to a holiday for Shivratri. While the motive remains unclear, police suspect personal or business rivalry could be behind the killing.