One More Detained From Odisha’s Burla In Jharsuguda Boy Kidnap-Murder Case

Jharsuguda: Police have detained one more person in connection with the kidnap-murder of a Class X student, Samarth Agrawal, for Rs 50 lakh ransom in Odisha’s Jharsuguda town.

According to sources, he was picked up from Burla in Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Sunday. Though police are yet to reveal his identity and the exact reason behind his detention, it is suspected that the boy was taken to Burla after being kidnapped and kept at his house on the pretext that he would be taken to a psychiatrist since he was suffering from some mental ailments.

The detainee is suspected to be a friend or an acquittance of the mastermind Amit Sharma, who along with his associate Dinesh Agarwal, are currently in police remand. Police had also recreated the crime scene by taking the two accused to Bheden and another place the previous day.

The duo was arrested on March 29 on the basis of CCTV footage near the apartment of the deceased at Saharabahal. Sharma persuaded Samarth to accompany him to Brajarajnagar, 15 km away, to the house of his employee Dinesh. He was then seen pillion-riding with the deceased.  They left the boy’s scooter at Amit’s house and proceeded towards Bargarh in a car.

Amit and Dinesh had made ransom calls of Rs 50 lakh to Samarth’s father Sunit Agarwal, who owns a motor parts shop, first on March 27 evening and again of Rs 90 lakh the following evening. Even as they are preparing to pay the ransom, Samarth’s charred body was found on a river side in Bargarh district on March 28.

Amit and Sunit stayed in the same locality till a couple of years ago before the Agarwal family moved to a new colony. Amit’s daughter used to tie Rakhi to the deceased and both studied in the same school, sources added.