Nayagarh: Body of a 24-year-old youth was found dumped in a canal in Nayagarh district, police said Friday. The deceased was identified as Ranjit Sethi of Raipur village under Nayagarh Sadar police limits. His body was recovered from the Paluabari Canal near Totasahi on the banks of the Dahuka River in Khandugaon panchayat.
Following information about the incident, Additional Superintendent of Police Jyoti Ranjan Samantaray, SDPO Srushti Pradhan and Sadar IIC Priyatama Pradhan visited the spot along with a scientific team and a sniffer dog squad to investigate.
Police seized several items from the scene, including a foreign liquor bottle, a cold drink bottle suspected to contain poison, footwear, snacks, bidis and a bag. A case has been registered, and two persons have been detained for questioning.
According to the victim’s mother, Hulas Sethi and Ranjit worked as labourers in Nayagarh and had left for work Thursday but did not return home. Family members searched for him the whole night before learning about the recovery of a body Friday morning. They alleged Ranjit was murdered and then dumped by his killers in the canal.
Police said the exact cause of death would be known af ter the post-mortem report is received. Investigators are also examining whether a long-standing family dispute over compensation money received after the death of Ranjit’s father in Kerala three years ago could have any connection to the death.