Berhampur: Odisha Police have arrested a murder accused, who had been on the run for 23 years, from Gujarat’s Surat, an officer said Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Sachindra Sahani alias Sachi (50), along with six others, had allegedly killed Lingaraj Patra at Patigada in Ganjam district March 25, 2003 due to previous enmity.
Police had registered a murder case at Kabisurya Nagar police station after the deceased’s wife, Laxmi Patra, lodged a complaint, the officer said.
Patigada was under Kabisurya Nagar police station limits at the time of the crime. The village, however, is now under the jurisdiction of Polasara police station, he said.
While the police had arrested six other accused involved in the murder –identified as Alekh Patra, Mitu Mohanty, Sushant Mohanty, Bapu Dalei, Mitu Routa and Kanhu Routa — Sahani had been giving the slip.
“We tried to nab him several times by raiding different places in Odisha and other states, and finally caught him in Surat,” Ganjam Superintendent of Police Subhendu Patra said.
He was working as a mechanic in a power-loom in Surat by using a fake name, he said.
The accused had been staying in Surat with his family, and two of his sons were study in colleges and his daughter got married, Kaushik Majhi, inspector-in-charge of Polasara police station, said.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team rushed to Surat and arrested him at his residence there. He was brought to Polsara Wednesday.
An arrest warrant, issued by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court, Kabisurya Nagar, was pending against him.
