Bhubaneswar: Puri Police have arrested the prime accused in the murder of Amiya Pradhan (46) of Torihanbandha village under Balanga police limits. The accused, Ashwini Pradhan, was arrested along with five of his associates for their alleged involvement in the crime.

According to information, Amiya had been living in Nuasahi under the Kumbharpada police limits in Puri. His elder brother Ajay had also moved out of the native village and settled elsewhere. Amiya reportedly had an ongoing dispute with his three other brothers over their ancestral land at Torihanbandha.

The conflict intensified on Tuesday afternoon when a clash broke out between Amiya and Ashwini, Ajay’s son, over the division of the property. Amiya sustained minor injuries in the scuffle and lodged a complaint at the Balanga police station. However, the complaint allegedly did not receive attention.

The fateful evening

The situation turned fatal in the evening around 5.30 pm. Amiya was sitting near the Hanuman temple in the village along with his driver, Malay Pradhan, when Ashwini arrived on a motorcycle with his sister, Gunei Pradhan. Amiya reportedly stopped them and questioned why Ashwini was creating trouble over the land issue. An argument followed, during which Ashwini allegedly abused Amiya. In anger, Amiya slapped him.

Hearing Gunei’s screams, Ajay’s wife Prabhati Pradhan, a relative Jitu Swain, and his brother-in-law Sanjay Pradhan rushed to the spot. They allegedly attacked Amiya with sharp weapons, hitting him on the head and killing him on the spot.

Malay, who witnessed the incident, was threatened and pushed aside by the attackers. Locals reached the spot soon after and shifted Amiya to the District Headquarters Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The body was later seized for a post-mortem.

Further probe into the incident was underway.