A 24-year-old man was reportedly kidnapped and brutally beaten to death in a suspected case of mob violence in Nayagarh district, prompting a full-scale police investigation and the rounding up of several people for questioning.
The victim, identified as Abhimanyu Sahu from Dalimbamada village under Nayagarh Sadar police station limits, was allegedly abducted on Sunday evening while visiting a local grocery store. His family stated that he was dragged to a village club, severely assaulted with heavy wrenches, and subsequently thrown into the Dahuka River in a bid by the attackers to erase evidence of the crime.
On Monday, police recovered Sahu’s body from the river and confiscated a blood-stained wrench suspected to be the murder weapon. Although a scientific forensic team combed the area for evidence and tracking dogs were brought in, the sniffer dogs unit was unable to pick up the trail of the fleeing suspects.
According to the victim’s grieving relatives, the family had been subjected to social boycotts by the villagers for nearly four years due to an ongoing property dispute. They further alleged that Abhimanyu was intentionally targeted following a kangaroo court-style village council meeting convened just a day before the fatal assault.
A team was formed under the supervision of the Nayagarh SP. Police officials have since arrestd eight local youths from the village, with court proceedings scheduled to commence today as a manhunt remains active for the remaining accomplices.
Nayagarh Superintendent of Police Subhendu Patra stated that the brutal assault took place inside a local community centre, after which the attackers allegedly dumped the victim’s remains into a nearby river.
The SP pointed out that while the police received the initial report of the crime after a significant delay, local cops acted with urgency the moment they were able to piece the details together.
He added that a specialised forensic unit was deployed to the scene to secure physical evidence, explaining that investigators are currently mapping out the precise roles played by the eight detained individuals before formally presenting them for prosecution.
“Yesterday, in the evening hours of 5th July, we got information that a few villagers of Dalimbamuda assaulted a local youth called Abhimanyu Sahu; they did it in a local community hall and then they disposed of the body in the nearby river. So, but somehow this information was transmitted at a very delayed manner and but whatever information the local inspector could piece in, after that they immediately took action of the case, they ensured that this few accused individuals who are directly involved in the case they’re apprehended and also sent the scientific team to the spot and collect whatever necessary evidence that was available on the ground,” the SP stated as quoted by ANI.
“So far we have in this case found eight accused, we have detained them as well and after verifying their role we’re going to forward them and we’re also trying to ensure that these kind of incident where whenever there is a violent incident that sufficient precautionary measures are taken by the local officers to increase preventive mechanisms in the ground and we’ve anticipating that there is involvement of more accused persons as well and we’re going to arrest them soon,” he added.
Further details are awaited as the investigation is underway.
