Baripada: Tension gripped Baripada Friday after a local trader was found dead with bullet injuries at Palabani Golei.
The deceased was identified as Parthasarathi Das of ward-11. Police recovered the body with a bullet shot in the head while his bike was found lying partially over him.
Police started an investigation into the incident. Baripada SDPO Abhimanyu Nayak and Town police station IIC Ashok Kumar Nayak rushed to the spot along a forensic team and sniffer dogs.
Police recovered the body, an empty cartridge, a liquor bottle, a glass, a bag and the motorcycle. The bag contained a cell phone, a wallet and various documents.
The SDPO said the incident might have happened between 10.30 and 11 pm Thursday.
Anusuya, wife of the deceased, filed an FIR alleging her husband was murdered. Police registered a case and started an investigation. It was learnt that police detained two persons of Murgabadi and kept then at an undisclosed location for interrogation.
However, Town police station IIC Ashok Nayak has denied this report. Parthasarathi owns a shop in Baripada. His fellow traders said he had closed the shop at 10.30 pm, but there was no need for him to go at late night to the place where his body was found.
Circumstantial evidence indicates that Parthasarathi was shot from close range.
Meanwhile, activists of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress have warned of an agitation if the police fail to arrest the culprits within 48 hours.
Youth Congress workers staged a road blockade near Station Bazaar in protest against the incident. PNN
