In a breakthrough development, two individuals were arrested in connection with the brutal murder of Pukhraj, a Jodhpur-based trader, whose headless body was discovered in the Maranghada police station area of Khunti district on February 28.
Khunti SP Aman Kumar confirmed on Friday that Anand Munda and Harsingh Munda had been apprehended. A third suspect is still at large. The authorities recovered significant evidence during the arrests, including a car, four motorcycles, an axe, a hammer, Rs 8.5 lakhs, and Pukhraj’s severed head.
The special investigation team (SIT), led by DSP Varun Rajak, was assigned to the case following the discovery of the headless body on Kujram-Chukru road. After the victim’s brother identified the body through social media, the SIT made arrests based on a mix of technical and scientific investigation.
According to police, Pukhraj had traveled to Khunti with the intention of purchasing illegal poppy bulbs, which are used for producing opium. A dispute had reportedly arisen between Pukhraj and Anand Munda over a previous payment. This disagreement escalated, leading to Anand and his associates killing Pukhraj while he was asleep, before beheading him. The head was concealed in a forest area in Namkum near Ranchi.
Police continue to search for the third suspect involved in the crime and are piecing together more details about the illicit opium trade that may have led to the fatal confrontation.
