Odisha: Man hires hitman to kill brother over land dispute

A 28-year-old man in Odisha’s Balasore district allegedly hired a hitman and killed his brother over a land dispute, police said on Friday. They said the incident took place on Tuesday and the body of Bhavani Rout (21) was found in the lake after three days of frantic search.

The body of Bhavani’s friend Manoranjan Mohapatra was also found in the Blue Lake. They added that the killers allegedly killed Bhavani on sight of his abduction and the two bodies were thrown into the lake. Police said they solved the double murder and arrested six people, including Bijay Kumar Rout, who ordered the attack.

They said the case was investigated after Bij lodged a missing persons complaint about his brother with the Nilgiri police station. Superintendent of Police Sagarika Nath said Bijay paid Rs 1.70 lakh to hire the hitman.

During interrogation, Beeji broke down and confessed to the crime, she said, adding that the weapon used in the murder had been recovered. However, police said one of the accused is still at large and a manhunt is ongoing for him.

In another incident in the district, the decomposed body of a woman was found in a pond in Jaiswal district on Friday, police said. They said the woman, aged between 30 and 35, had her face disfigured beyond recognition.

They added that they suspected she was murdered and her body thrown into a pond. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)