Odisha: Four arrested for 'killing' ex-sarpanch in Bhadrak

Bhadrak, Nov 22 (PTI) Police arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in the murder of former sarpanch of Bandhagain panchayat in Odisha's Bhadrak district, an officer said on Friday.

Bhadrak rural police on Thursday arrested the four persons after a week-long investigation, he said.

The police said the four accused had hatched a plan and killed Chittaranjan Rout, the ex-sarpanch, on November 12 night.

Police identified the alleged accused as Bidyut Sahoo, Saroja Sahoo, Badal Samal and Prasant Rout. All belong to the Bandhagain village under Bhadrak rural police station limits.

During the investigation, the police found that Bidyut had contacted Samal to kill the former sarpanch two months back. The deal was finalised at Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 40,000 was paid in advance to Samal.

Samal with his two friends hatched the plan and executed it accordingly. They invited Chittaranjan Rout to a party. They jointly consumed alcoholic drinks on November 12 night. When Rout was returning home in an intoxicated condition, the four persons killed him with lethal weapons, said Inspector-in-charge of Bhadrak rural police station, Amitab Das.

The motive behind the murder is suspected to be business rivalry, he said.

The police have seized the knife used in the murder and the mobile phone of the deceased from the accused, Das said. PTI

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