Gajapati police arrested two men, Atul Prasad Dalbehera (25) and his cousin Biswabhanu Pradhan (27), for the murder of 35-year-old Ramachandra Nayak. The victim’s body was found in a water body near Kadamasing village on June 24.
According to Gajapati SP Jatindra Panda, the murder stemmed from a past enmity between Atul and Ramachandra. Atul, from Anogha village, fatally attacked Ramachandra with a stone and the blunt side of an axe. After the killing, Atul informed Biswabhanu, who assisted in concealing the crime.
Initially, the two hid Ramachandra’s body in a nearby forest. On June 25, they moved the body, tied it with a wooden stick and stone, and disposed of it in a water body close to the village. They also destroyed Ramachandra’s mobile phone to remove evidence.
Following a missing person complaint by Ramachandra’s family, the police launched a search, during which villagers discovered his injured body in the water. Multiple injuries on the body prompted a murder investigation, and seven suspects were detained for questioning.
During the inquiry, police found a motive linked to Atul and Ramachandra’s past conflict. Atul was arrested on Saturday and confessed to the crime with Biswabhanu’s help.
On Sunday, Biswabhanu was also arrested. Police reconstructed the crime scene and recovered the weapon—a stone and an axe—as well as Ramachandra’s damaged phone and blood-stained clothes buried near the scene. Both accused were sent to judicial custody, the SP confirmed.
