6 Arrested for Constable’s Murder in Odisha’s Balangir

Balangir: Six individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of a police constable during a botched precious stone transaction in a Balangir hotel, authorities announced Friday.

Balangir SP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo revealed that the victim, Shankar Behera, a constable from Sonepur Town police station, was found dead on May 17 in a hotel room near Balangir railway station. His body was found with his limbs bound.

The investigation, led by three police teams under the supervision of the Balangir SP, uncovered that a suspect had booked the hotel room using a fake identity and hired vehicles under false names on various dates. CCTV footage and inquiries at the railway station led to the identification of Pankaj Kumar from Jharkhand. He and seven accomplices were residing in the hotel using counterfeit documents.

Further probing revealed that Shankar Behera was engaged in the illegal sale of precious stones. On the day of the murder, he had visited the hotel to sell stones to Pankaj. However, Pankaj and his associates tied up and killed Shankar before fleeing with the stones.

The police have arrested Pankaj Kumar, Suraj Kumar Barnawal (Jharkhand), Krushna Meher (Angul district), Manoranjan Sathua (Boudh), Nitai Kar (Sonepur), and Rohit Sa (Balangir) while two other suspects remain at large.

Cops have seized two cars, three motorcycles, precious stones valued at over Rs 50 lakh, a country-made pistol, and several mobile phones from the arrested individuals, who were presented in court on Friday.