Five men accused in the murder of 32-year-old Jitendra Das in Nayapalli last month were arrested from Gujarat on Friday. The arrested have been identified as Raja Ray, Kalia Mohanty, Sani Naik, Rajesh Naik, and Rajesh Behera, all in their 20s.
Das succumbed to his injuries on January 1, 2026, after being brutally assaulted on December 26, 2025. Police said the motive behind the attack was linked to a “triangular love story.” A sixth suspect had been arrested earlier, and a juvenile was also detained in connection with the case.
Police sources revealed that Das, a married daily-wage worker, allegedly tried to woo a 17-year-old girl. Another youth close to the girl confronted him, and the dispute escalated when several associates attacked Das with sharp-edged weapons, leaving him gravely injured. Initially registered as an assault case at Nayapalli Police Station on December 27, the investigation was upgraded to murder following Das’s death.
Police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh confirmed that the five men had fled to Gujarat to evade arrest, and that Sani Naik and Rajesh Behera had prior criminal records.
