Phulbani: 24 days after a body was found from a river, the deceased’s family members at Kudupakia village of Sarttiguda panchayat under K.Nuagaon police limits have alleged that he was murdered.
Even though the police have detained a person in this connection, family members are yet to know whether a case has been registered or not.
Family sources said that Pedra Digal along with a villager had gone to the forested area searching for mushrooms at 9.30am July 25. It was when Pedra did not return even hours after the villager had returned that the former’s wife and daughter went to his house to enquire about the reason for Pedra’s whereabouts.
The villager told them that he had not gone to pluck mushrooms. He had instead gone to Gosanaju to pluck ivy guards.
Mother and daughter launched a frantic search for Pedra. When they failed in tracing him, they informed villagers who in turn asked them to bring forward the man who allegedly accompanied Pedra in the morning of July 25.
When approached by Pedra’s daughter, he refused to come before the villagers, insisting that he did not kill her father.
Later the villagers came to know that Pedra and the man had gone towards the upper end of the Badanadi after a booze session at Gasamaha.
Upon searching the area July 26, they found the body stuffed in a creek, leading to the villagers and family members becoming sure of the other man’s role in eliminating Pedra.
Later once again the villagers and family members confronted the man asking him to own up to what he had done, but he denied any wrongdoing. Then the family members lodged a complaint against him.
When asked, the Inspector in Charge of K.Nuagaon police station Chandamani Singh refused to part with any information as the investigation was still underway.
PNN
