Bhubaneswar police have arrested five men from Gujarat in connection with the murder of 32-year-old Jitendra Das in Nayapalli last month. The accused are:
Raja Ray
Kalia Mohanty
Sani Naik
Rajesh Naik
Rajesh Behera
All are in their 20s. Their arrest follows Das’s death on January 1, 2026, after a brutal assault on December 26, 2025. Police had previously arrested one man and detained a juvenile in connection with the case.
Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh said the crime was motivated by a “triangular love story.” The five accused reportedly fled to Gujarat to evade arrest, and two of them—Sani and Rajesh—had prior criminal records.
According to police, Das, a married daily wager, allegedly tried to woo a 17-year-old girl. Another youth, close to the girl, confronted him on December 26. The confrontation escalated as several associates joined in, attacking Das with sharp-edged weapons, leaving him critically injured. Initially, the case was registered as assault on December 27 at Nayapalli police station, but after Das succumbed to his injuries, it was upgraded to a murder investigation.
