Kamakshyanagar: Kamakshyanagar police have arrested eight persons in connection with the Friday brutal attack on Parjang Tehsildar Subhra Patel and Revenue Inspector (RI) Alok Lenka by soil mafia.
The accused persons are identified as Prafulla Sahu (50) of Muktapasi village, Gunanidhi Sahu (27), Tripur Parida (61), Suresh Parida (58), Tulu Parida (27), and Sibaram Parida (35) all from Patharkhamb village, Dusmanta Sahu (46) of Ram Mandir Sahi of Kamakshyanagar, and Pandab Gagarai (48) of Chulia village, informed Gyana Ranjan Mohapatra, SP, Dhenkanal addressing a presser at the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) office here today.
Police have seized an excavator and two tractors from the possession of the accused persons, Mohapatra added.
Mohapatra stated that on being informed about illegal soil excavation from government land near the canal at Patharkhamb village, Parjang Tehsildar Subhra Patel had visited the spot.
Patel had objected to the illegal soil excavation.
While he was taking a photograph of the illegal excavation, the soil mafia present at the spot attacked him brutally, the SP said.
Upon getting information about the attack on Patel, RI Alok Lenka rushed to the spot. He too was not spared by the soil mafia. The mafia even attempted to run the excavator on Patel to kill him, the SP added.
After attacking Patel and Lenka, the mafia fled the spot with the excavator and the tractors.
