Sonepur/Binika: Police Sunday recovered the decomposed body of a 37-year-old man, who had been missing for the past 10 days, from beneath the ground near Kulerjor of Ganeshpur village under Binika police limits in Subarnapur district.
The deceased was identified as Prakash Mohanty, a resident of Gulapada in Binika town.
Preliminary investigation suggests that Mohanty was allegedly murdered over a dispute related to money-sharing, police said.
According to officials, Mohanty was killed by his associates, who later attempted to destroy evidence by burying the body near Ganashpur Kulerjor.
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Binika police have detained five persons in connection with the case and are interrogating them. The incident has sparked widespread discussion and concern in the Binika area.
Police sources said Mohanty owned an excavator and three tractors, which he rented out for land-levelling work in and around Binika.
Several local youths from Gulapada assisted him in the business. The work reportedly generated steady income, which supported his family.
Mohanty reportedly told his family December 18 that he was going to the market to buy slippers.
However, he did not return home.
His family later lodged a missing person complaint at the Binika police station. Initially, the police allegedly did not treat the complaint with urgency.
Subsequently, Mohanty’s wife, Banita Mohanty, submitted a written complaint alleging that her husband had been murdered by some miscreants.
Following this, police intensified the investigation.
After sustained interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to killing Mohanty and burying his body underground.
Acting on the disclosure, police recovered the body Sunday from near Kulerjor, close to Jharapada.
SDPO Pratap Chandra Tripathy, Binika IIC Satyanarayan Pradhan, and a scientific team were present at the site during the recovery operation. Further investigation is underway.
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