Kendrapara: A contractor with criminal antecedents was shot dead by three bike-borne miscreants on the busy Kakat-Sadar Thana Road, just 100 metre from Sadar police station here Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Kedarnath Swain alias Bapini (32), a resident of Samajori under Marshaghai police limits, said SP Nitinjeet Singh.
Bapini resided in Santasahi area with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. The incident occurred when Bapini was on Shyamsundarpur Bridge. The miscreants fired two rounds at him from point blank range. He received bullet injury on head and died on the spot.
A police team led by Sadar IIC Biranchi Bag and SDPO Purna Chandra Pradhan seized the body and sent it for autopsy to the district headquarters hospital.
Police suspect that past rivalry might be the reason behind the killing though no exact reason has been ascertained as yet.
Bapini was involved in several criminal activities under Marshaghai police station. He was arrested in connection with a firing incident and was wanted in a murder case.
Meanwhile, the police have sealed all the entry points to the town and have formed a team to arrest those involved in Bapini’s murder. Police have identified the accused, the SDPO said. PNN