Odisha Police have arrested a man in connection with the brutal murder of his former lover, allegedly hiring a contract killer after she planned to marry someone else.
Odisha Police on Thursday arrested a 30-year-old man for the murder of a 24-year-old woman, whose mutilated body was found in a farmland in Jagatsinghpur district recently, officials said.
The accused, identified as Suryakant Swain alias Bubu, a former lover of the victim, hails from Jagatsinghpur district.
He was arrested in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur, where he ran an auto parts business, and was brought back to Odisha. He was also engaged in a fishing boat business in Paradip and Astaranga and frequently visited Jagatsinghpur in connection with his work.
Police said Swain came in contact with the woman in 2016 through common friends. They grew close through regular phone conversations and personal meetings.
"When the woman came to know that Swain was married, she started distancing herself. However, he assured her that he would marry her and purchased a homestead plot in her name in 2020 at a price of Rs 12 lakh. He had also purchased a LIC bond worth Rs 10 lakh in her name," a senior police officer said.
However, Swain started suspecting that the woman was in a relationship with another person. The victim had earlier lodged a police complaint, following which Swain was arrested in 2024. He was later released on bail after a compromise. Out of anger, he transferred the land to a relative and cut off contact with her, he said.
On learning that the woman was to marry another person on May 10, Swain allegedly hired a contract killer from Jamshedpur and had her hacked to death in the evening of April 20. The weapon used in the crime has been seized, the officer said.
"The accused has confessed to the crime and participated in scene reconstruction," Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Ankit Verma told reporters, adding that efforts were underway to nab the hired killer.