Bhubaneswar: Eight persons have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a man at Shishupalgarh in Bhubaneswar city, with police claiming that the incident was an accidental firing during a gathering where the accused were displaying a pistol.
The deceased, identified as Tapu Nayak, a resident of Tapovan Basti in Khandagiri, was shot in the chest and later succumbed to his injuries. The shooting took place on Wednesday night.
According to police, the accused initially attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that two unidentified persons had opened fire at Tapu while he was travelling with Umesh Pattanaik and Pinku alias Bishnu Prasad Pattanaik on a scooter near the Shishubhavan overbridge.
However, an examination of CCTV footage from the area exposed inconsistencies in their account. Subsequent interrogation reportedly revealed that a gathering involving food and liquor was underway at Umesh’s office in Shishupalgarh when he displayed a pistol that he had received through a parcel.
Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh said Pinku allegedly pulled the trigger, causing a bullet loaded in the weapon to hit Tapu directly in the chest.
The injured man was initially taken to a private hospital and was subsequently being shifted to Capital Hospital when he died on the way, police said.
Investigators further found that a youth identified as Ratnakar had allegedly disposed of the weapon in Gangua nullah after the incident. The pistol was subsequently recovered from the waterbody with the assistance of the fire services personnel.
The scientific team, which examined the crime scene, collected blood samples and recovered an unfired bullet. It later completed its investigation at the spot.
Police said nine persons had initially been detained for questioning, while eight were arrested in connection with the case and produced before a court. The Commissionerate Police also recreated the crime scene as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, family members of the deceased have alleged that Tapu was deliberately murdered. They said Umesh had called him over the phone around 10 pm on Wednesday. The three were reportedly associated with government contract work.
