Sundaragada: The recovery of the body of a missing man from a river in Odisha’s Sundaragada district took a new turn on Thursday after investigation by police showed that he was murdered by his friends.
Police sources said teh 25-year-old man was allegedly murdered by two of his friends over a past dispute, and his body dumped in the Ib River. Police have taken both accused into custody in connection with the crime.
The deceased, identified as Dhiraj Tani a of Kaintara village under Kinjirkelā police station limits, had been missing since November 9. His body was recovered from the Ib River near Kusumura ferry ghat on Thursday morning.
According to police, Dhiraj had a heated argument with his friend Golap Tanti (23) in their village on November 7 over some issue. Nursing a grudge over the incident, Golap allegedly pretended to reconcile with Dhiraj while planning to take revenge.
On November 9, Golap and another friend, Ramesh Oram, allegedly invited Dhiraj to a picnic near Kusumura Melenjore on the pretext of having a feast together.
During the gathering, an argument reportedly broke out again over their previous dispute. The two accused allegedly attacked Dhiraj with stones, leaving him critically injured. They allegedly threw him into the river water after checking whether he was dead and returned home, police said.
Meanwhile, Dhiraj’s family members, who knew that he had gone out with Golap, became worried when he failed to return home. They subsequently lodged a missing-person complaint at Kinjirkelā police station.
Assisted by an Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team, police had launched a search operation in the Ib River on Wednesday but failed to trace him.
On Thursday morning, locals spotted a body floating near Kusumura ferry ghat and alerted the police. The body was recovered and identified as that of Dhiraj.
After preliminary investigation, police arrested Golap Tanti and Ramesh Oram for their alleged involvement in the murder. Both accused were reportedly produced before a court. Further investigation is underway.