Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police have arrested four persons in connection with the sensational Sarakantara murder case, in which AIIMS-Bhubaneswar lab assistant Sudhanshu Khuntia was shot dead on Monday morning. The arrested accused have been identified as Sukanta Pradhan, Shubhendu Pradhan, Rakesh Khuntia, and Subrat Sahu.
According to ACP Zone-3 Tapas Chandra Pradhan, the four accused have been forwarded to court. Police have also seized the firearm used in the crime, which was hidden by Subrat Sahu after the murder. Preliminary investigations suggest that the murder stemmed from a long-standing land dispute within the family. Acting on a premeditated plan, the accused allegedly conspired to eliminate Sudhanshu. The incident took place on the road leading to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, where Sudhanshu was fatally shot. Police said Rakesh Khuntia had helped identify the victim before the attack, while the main accused, Shiva Pradhan, remains absconding.
The murder has sent shockwaves across the capital. According to investigators, the dispute traces back to a property disagreement between two branches of the same family. Sukanta Pradhan, who had been living separately after marriage and was financially well-off through his in-laws’ assets, sought a share of a small ancestral plot that had been transferred to Sudhanshu by his grandmother. When Sukanta took the matter to court, the verdict went in Sudhanshu’s favour, leading to growing resentment within Sukanta’s family.
Police sources said Sukanta’s son, Shiva Pradhan, had been angered by the judgment and allegedly threatened to kill Sudhanshu during Dussehra celebrations, wielding a sword in public. Despite the threat, Sudhanshu reportedly did not take the warning seriously. On Monday morning, Shiva allegedly executed his threat and shot Sudhanshu dead in the village square, near Sarakantara.
Police have intensified their efforts to trace and arrest the absconding prime accused, while further investigation into the conspiracy and possible involvement of other individuals continues.
