Two arrested in Ganjam scribe murder case

--professional reason behind murder

BHUBANESWAR: Finally after 11 days of the murder of journalist Tarun Kumar Acharya near the Khallikote police station in Ganjam district, the Ganjam police led by Southern Range DIG Amitabh Thakur have succeeded to nab two culprits involved in the case.

They were identified as P Shyamsundar Prusty (31), a known cashew businessman of Khallikote area, and Prusty’s associate Ramesh Reddy (28). Another two involved in the case are absconding, said the police. 

Chatrapur SDPO Alekh Chandra Pahi on Sunday shared the latest information with reporters here regarding the findings of their investigation into the murder case. Pahi said that Tarun’s report against cashew businessmen’s hand in promoting crime in his area had created problem for the young journalist.

The SDPO said Prusty could not take the report easy and chalked out a plan to give a lesson to the reporter. He called two contract killers to Kasturi Hotel at Barkul on May 21 and gave Rs 50,000 in advance to kill Tarun. Prusty’s aide Ramesh helped the contract killers to identify Tarun at Khallikote. 

According to their plan, on May 27 evening, the contract killers and Ramesh followed the journalist while he was returning to his village Bikrampur and intercepted his motorcycle at a lonely place near Khallikote police station in order to kill him. The trio attacked Tarun with sharp weapons and slit his throat. 

The police seized two motorcycles used in the murder. The duo was forwarded to a local court. “We have started a manhunt to nab other culprits involved in the case,” said Pahi.