Post News Network
Balasore, Jan 4: Sahadevkhunta police here Sunday arrested a man and his paramour on the charge of kidnapping and strangling the former’s wife and subsequently dumping the body along the national highway in Gangapada near Bhubaneswar.
Niranjan Pradhan was arrested from his Dahapada residence while his paramour Jyotshna was arrested from another house. The duo killed Nandini Pradhan December 20 and was absconding since then. The couple was produced in a court Monday, deputy superintendent of police Amaresh Panda said.
Police said Nandini, daughter of Mangulu Das of Srikrushnapur under Remuna police limits, married Niranjan, a driver by profession, two years ago following an affair. The couple has a six-month-old daughter. After marriage, the couple resided in Haripur under Sahadevkhunta police limits.
Meanwhile, Niranjan came in contact with Jyotshna, a mother of two children and deserted by her husband. Niranjan developed an extramarital affair with Jyotshna who worked in a packaging company at Remuna Golei. Later, he married her at a temple without Nandini’s knowledge and kept her in a house near Kendriya Vidyalaya.
Jyotshna then decided to get rid of Nandini and conspired with Niranjan to kill her. She also sought the aid of Niranjan’s helper Bijay Jena. The duo kidnapped Nandini and drove away in a jeep towards Bhubaneswar. On the way, Niranjan and Bijay caught hold of Nandini while Jyotshna strangled her. They dumped the body under a bush near Gangapada and fled. While Bijay returned to Balasore the couple went into hiding in Puri, Jaleshwar and Haldiapada.
The matter came to fore after Nandini’s mother lodged a complaint of kidnap December 21. Police was able to crack the case after they arrested Bijay on suspicion. He confessed to the crime during interrogation.
Police then recovered Nandini’s decomposed body from Gangapada December 24 and conducted a post-mortem in SCB Medical College and Hospital. Police then arrested Nandini’s father-in-law Prabhakar Pradhan (59) and brother-in-law Chittaranjan Pradhan. Niranjan was arrested when he had come to his house while Jyotshna was arrested on the basis of the former’s information. PNN