Rayagada: Police have arrested nine persons in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Hadipa Nikhil in Rayagada district following a coordinated multi-state operation, officials said on Sunday.
The accused include alleged masterminds Umesh Hial, Raj Seemli, and Akshaya Samal, all residents of Madanpur in Bihar’s Aurangabad district. Y. Shyam Sunder, V. Lokesh Kumar, B. Pawan Kumar, and S. Prem Kumar were apprehended from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Sumit Jain was arrested from Kesinga in Kalahandi district, while Raja Huika was picked up from Rayagada.
According to police, the victim was allegedly abducted and shot dead on the night of May 9 during a local puja celebration at Budurabhalasa Sahi in Rayagada town. Armed assailants reportedly chased him and intercepted him at Indira Nagar Third Lane, where they opened fire. He sustained bullet injuries to his chest and waist before being abducted in a critical condition. The attackers later killed him and dumped his body on the banks of the Nagavali river. His body was recovered on the morning of May 10.
Following a complaint lodged by the victim’s family, police constituted six special teams to trace the accused across multiple states. Investigators tracked the suspects based on technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, leading to coordinated arrests from Odisha, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
Police suspect the murder was triggered by a dispute over the distribution of several crores of rupees and ornaments allegedly looted from a gambling den in the Bandhugaon area of Koraput district.
Rayagada Superintendent of Police Swati S. Kumar said police have seized 11 mobile phones, one pistol, two vehicles, and several credit cards from the accused during the operation.
She added that investigation is ongoing and more arrests are likely as other suspects involved in the case are still absconding.
