Rayagada: Local police today arrested three persons for their alleged complicity in a schoolteacher's murder ten days ago.

According to sources, the deceased teacher Ramachandra Mahanandia's wife, Sumita Bora, was in a relationship with one Ramesh Patika (40), a resident of Ambedkarnagar, Gunupur, before her marriage. However, Sumita's family married her off to Ramachandra, a teacher in Samdala Upper Primary (UP) School, when Ramesh had gone to Visakhapatnam to attend a training programme.

Upon his return after a few months, the prime accused came to know about her beloved's marriage. Few years later, a disheartened Ramesh met his now-married partner and both rekindled their romance and decided to eliminate Ramachandra.

Police sources revealed that Ramesh surfed the Internet on ways to murder a person. He had plotted to kill the victim twice in the past, but had failed.

Also read: School teacher found dead under bridge in Odisha

On the evening of May 19, Ramachandra and Ramesh met over a round of drinks with Prashant alias Kalia, a relative of Sumita, around. The accused took advantage of intoxication and crushed the victim to death. They later, threw the body and a two-wheeler under Kutragarh bridge on river Vamshadhara.

Muniguda police has nabbed the trio—Ramesh, Sumita and Kalia, ten days after the incident, said SDPO Chandrasekhar Hota.

Ramesh and Sumita were in a relationship for nearly 22 years, police sources added.

Mahanandia's family members had earlier alleged that he had been killed by some miscreants.