Shergad: Dharkote police claimed to have cracked the murder of a youth at Badgarh village under this block in Ganjam district as it arrested four persons in this connection, Tuesday.
The murder of Babu Pradhan October 23 took place in retaliation to the murder of a former samiti member Subhash Sahu, Dharakote IIC Santosh Kumar Behera said. Sahu was allegedly killed by Pradhan June 25, 2017 after the end of three-tier panchayat elections, he said.
The accused persons identified as Ganga Sahu, Rohit Sahu, Kuna Sahu and Daka Sahu were produced in the court after their arrests. Two more accused Dilu Sahu and Ganesh Sahu are absconding and will be arrested soon, the IIC said. Three motorbikes and three sharp-edged weapons were seized from their possession during the arrest.
Police said Subash, a former samiti member, had fielded his sister-in-law as the candidate for the post of samiti member in the 2017 panchayat election for Kulagarh gram panchayat. Pradhan had also fielded his wife for the same post but lost the election. The electoral defeat infuriated Pradhan following which he nursed a grudge and hatched a plan to eliminate Sahu.
Accordingly, Pradhan allegedly killed Sahu June 25, 2017 and went absconding. Later, he was arrested by police and released from jail on bail few days back.
Meanwhile, his mother died and he had come to attend the post-rituals when one of the accused Daka Sahu called him to go for bath in the village pond. Unsuspecting he went with him and was changing his clothes after bath when the accused persons gheraoed him and hacked him to death.