Digapahandi: A village in Ganjam district woke up to shock and grief Monday after a man was found dead under suspicious circumstances on the verandah of his house, prompting a full-scale investigation by Digapahandi police.
According to a source, the victim, B Ramchandra Patra alias Tulu, was attacked in the wee hours of Monday outside his house in Ushakothi Sahi under Digapahandi police limits. A power cut had forced him to sleep on the verandah around 2am.
A police team from Digapahandi reached the spot soon after being alerted and began an investigation with the help of a scientific team and dog squad from Berhampur. The body was sent to MKCG Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem.
Two suspects were detained and were being questioned at the time of filing this report.
Preliminary investigation suggests the murder was carried out by a local youth with whom Ramchandra had a scuffle Sunday evening.
Police said the altercation erupted after the accused youth and his family were not invited to a puja that Ramchandra and his relatives had been conducting since Friday. Though the issue was seemingly resolved by relatives, the youth allegedly returned hours later and attacked Ramchandra with a machete before fleeing.
It can be mentioned here that Ramchandra had returned to his native village about a month ago from Bhubaneswar, where he worked as a daily wage labourer. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
PNN