Berhampur: A land dealer from Gopalpur in Odisha's Ganjam district, who was abducted and held for ransom, has been found murdered.

The deceased, Sudhir Patra of Satyanarayanpur village under Gopalpur police limits, was kidnapped on April 15 while he was on the road. Soon after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted his wife through a WhatsApp call and demanded ₹2 crore for his release. They also sent a video showing Patra being assaulted, with a gun pointed at his head and several youths seen kicking him.

Patra’s wife lodged a complaint with the police the same night. In response, nine police teams were formed. The teams conducted searches within and outside the district and detained multiple suspects for questioning. However, despite a week-long operation, the police failed to trace him.

On Wednesday morning, a local spotted a decomposed body under a bridge near Rasipankal. Police reached the spot and suspected the body to be that of Patra. Later, family members identified the body based on his T-shirt.

Preliminary findings suggest that the body had been lying there for around seven days. Investigators believe Patra may have been killed either on the night his wife informed the police or the following day.

Police suspect that a land dispute may have been the motive behind the crime. Eight people have been detained and are being interrogated in connection with the alleged murder.