Aska: Aska wore a deserted look Tuesday as all shops in the commercial town remaining closed following the murder of Pratap Polai, a bus owner and the husband of BJD councillor Babita Polai Monday night.
Tension ran high in Paklapali village after Pratap’s body reached the village for post-death rituals. However, no complaint was registered by his family members, it was learnt. A cloud of fear loomed in Aska bus-stand with a handful of people seen here are there.
Scientific team and sniffer dogs were pressed into service for the investigation. Police seized three catridges and two live bullets from the bus ‘Akbari’ in which the miscreants opened fire at Pratap.
Led by SDPO Subash Chandra Panda, special teams were formed by Aska IIC Baleswar Gidhi, Hinjili IIC Prasant Kumar Sahu and Shergada IIC Biswaranjan Nayak who visited many places and launched a probe.
Ganjam additional SP Pradipt Kumar Mohapatra visited the town and took stock of the situation. Three platoons of special police were deployed at various parts of the town to maintain law and order. On the other hand, police were deployed at Pratap’s village since Monday night.
While no exact reason of the murder was ascertained, preliminary police investigation revealed the murder was the fallout of Pratap’s hostility with another group over a foreign liquor shop in Aska bus-stand, SDPO Panda said. Police suspected many more persons could be involved in the case while the bus officials claimed two persons fired at him.
Two armed assailants had opened fire at Pratap while he was going in the bus from Aska to Berhampur. He was returning to Berhampur after checking his liquor business at Aska bus-stand and his own bus ‘Radhakrishna’ Monday night. He was admitted to Aska sub-divisional hospital and later shifted to Berhampur-based MKCG Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. Further investigation is on, police said. PNN
