Balasore: A man accused of brutally killing his ex-girlfriend in Odisha's Balasore district consumed poison after spotting the police today before his arrest.

The accused, identified as Biswaranjan Puhan, was arrested from Dhalasahi under Basudevpur police limits in Bhadrak district. He had been on the run after allegedly murdering his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Jyotirmayee Rana, at Lingapada village in Soro area on February 24.

Biswaranjan reportedly slit Jyotirmayee’s throat while she was alone at home. Her parents were not present at the time of the incident. After committing the crime, he kept changing locations to evade arrest. However, upon seeing the police today, he panicked and consumed poison.

The police immediately rescued Biswaranjan and rushed him to the Basudevpur Hospital. Later, he was shifted to the Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital for further treatment.

Jyotirmayee had earlier filed a police complaint against Biswaranjan, accusing him of threatening her over the phone. The two were in a relationship for a long time but reportedly broke up due to his liquor addiction.

They had met while studying at the Upendra Nath College in Soro and later moved to Bengaluru for work. While Jyotirmayee was employed as a supervisor in a security company, Biswaranjan worked as a food delivery agent.

Later, Jyotirmayee returned to Odisha and took up a private job in Bhubaneswar, while Biswaranjan quit his job and moved back to his village. Two months ago, she returned to her native place, and since then, Biswaranjan had allegedly been harassing her.

Following the murder, Jyotirmayee’s mother lodged a complaint at the Soro police station, on the basis of which a murder case was registered. Further investigation into the case is underway, police said.