Nayagarh: Days after the brutal murder of a youth in Balianta on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar shocked the state, another gruesome killing has surfaced in Odisha’s Nayagarh district. A young man was allegedly hacked to death in the Odagaon area, with both his hands severed from the body by unidentified attackers.

The deceased has been identified as Ajit Kumar Sahu. The incident took place at Kadalibandha village, around 2 km from Odagaon police station, in the early hours of Monday.

Locals spotted the body lying on the roadside in a pool of blood and informed the police in the morning.

As per reports, at around 1 am, Ajit and another youth, Santosh Kumar Pradhan, had tried to stop two stone-laden vehicles in the area. During this, they were allegedly attacked by members of a stone mafia group.

The assailants allegedly used sharp weapons and severed both hands of Ajit before killing him on the spot. Santosh reportedly managed to escape from the scene and took shelter inside a nearby dhaba to save his life.

After carrying out the attack, the accused fled the spot.

Tension prevailed in the area after news of the murder spread on Monday morning. Family members of the deceased and angry locals staged a road blockade, placing the body on the road and demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.

Police and a scientific team reached the spot and launched an investigation.