In a chilling development from Odisha’s Gajapati district, police have arrested two individuals—Atul Prasad Beherdalai (22) and Biswabhanu Pradhan (18)—for the alleged murder of a 35-year-old man, Ram Chandra Nayak. The body of Nayak, which was tied to two heavy stone slabs, was discovered on January 25 in Nuasahi Dam under Ramagiri police station limits.
According to Gajapati Superintendent of Police Jatindra Panda, the motive behind the gruesome killing was a long-standing land dispute between the accused and the victim. Nayak, a resident of Kadamasing village, had been reported missing by his younger brother, Barun Kumar Nayak, on June 23. Initially registered as a missing person case, the investigation quickly escalated after the body was recovered.
R Udayagiri SDPO Amitav Panda stated that Atul ambushed Nayak with stones and the victim’s own axe while he was on his way home. The accused then strangled him and dragged the body to a forested area. Later, Atul sought the help of Biswabhanu Pradhan—who was also a distant relative of the victim—to dispose of the body. They tied it to two stone slabs, weighing 10 kg and 8 kg respectively, and dumped it into the dam to conceal the crime.
Both accused have confessed to the crime during interrogation. The police have charged them under relevant sections of the IPC and are continuing further investigations to establish the full sequence of events and any additional accomplices.
