Lakhanpur: Police Saturday evening arrested a person in connection with the killing of a dhaba owner at Kanaktora forest gate near Rengali in Jharsuguda district.
The accused, identified as Babul Das, 45, a native of Sanakunia village in West Bengal’s Medinipur district, was arrested from Raigarh railway station in Chhattisgarh. Das, who used to stay at Penthakata sahi in Puri, was waiting for Utkal Express to go to Puri, at the station when he was nabbed.
During interrogation, Babul confessed that he killed his employer.
Rajesh Sahu, 38, the dhaba owner, stayed at the dhaba Friday night. Babul had brought food from Rajesh’s house and they had dinner together. According to sources, Rajesh had stopped cooking food at dhaba for some days and had been indulged in doing some illegal business of selling diesel and coal. Babul was helping Rajesh in this illegal act.
When both of them were having dinner and drinks together, Babul asked for his outstanding dues. When Rajesh refused to pay, an irked Babul picked up a lathi and hit the dhaba owner on his face. When Rajesh collapsed on the ground, Babul sat on the former’s chest and strangulated him with a rope.
Rajesh’s wife found a missed call from her husband Saturday morning. Sensing something foul, she rushed to the dhaba and found that the door of the dhaba was locked from outside. She dialled her husband’s mobile number, but there was no response. Rajesh’s wife, with the help of a neighbouring shopkeeper, opened the door and found her husband dead.
The suspicion of police zeroed in on Babul, who was missing from the place.
Suspecting that Babul might have gone to the railway station to escape, a police team led by Kanaktora police station IIC Chudamani Mahananda and some people who know Babul went to the Raigarh railway station and the team arrested him form the station.
Rajesh’s wife said her husband talked with her last at 11 pm. However, Saturday morning she saw a missed call from Rajesh at 12 midnight.
PNN
