Barbil: What was initially registered as an unnatural death case in Keonjhar district has now been confirmed as a murder, with police arresting two accused 56 days after the incident.
As per police reports, truck driver Sanjay Yadav of Kendua village under Barkatha police station in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district was killed following a dispute over an unpaid food bill at a roadside dhaba in the Barbil police limits.
According to investigators, Yadav had stopped at Shankar Dhaba near Jhadgaon November 5 and had food there.
An argument broke out when he allegedly refused to pay the bill. Dhaba owner Shankar Prasad Mahato called his associate Mithun Munda to the spot.
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During the altercation, Mahato allegedly struck Yadav on the head with an iron rod, killing him on the spot.
Police said the accused dumped the body in a nearby vacant area and concealed it with grass.
The body was recovered November 23, about 18 days after the incident, and an unnatural death case was registered.
However, the postmortem report later confirmed homicidal death. Following a complaint filed by the victim’s wife, Debanti Devi, Barbil police registered a murder case (500/25) and intensified the investigation.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed to the crime. Keonjhar SDPO Debendra Nath Pingua said both accused, Mahato and Munda, have been arrested and produced before a local court.
The iron rod used in the crime has been seized. The investigation is continuing to ascertain further details related to the case.