Bhubaneswar: The caretaker accused of murdering senior citizen Kunjalata Nanda (76) at Buddhanagar area under Laxmisagar police station limits in Bhubaneswar has finally been arrested by Surat Police.
The accused, Balabhadra Ramcharan Maharana (40), who had been absconding after committing the crime, was nabbed last night in a joint operation by the Surat Crime Branch and the Vadodara Special Squad.
As per reports, police caught him near a hotel on National Highway-48 when he was trying to flee to Delhi by bus. Kunjalata’s jewellery has been seized from his possession. Commissionerate Police is bringing him on transit remand from the local court and he will be produced in court soon.
Notably, Kunjalata, wife of late retired DFO Hadibandhu Nanda, was murdered on the night of November 3. Her blood-soaked body was found in her bedroom on the morning of November 4. Cash and gold ornaments were found looted from the almirah. Balabhadra, who had been working as her caretaker for the last 4-5 months, had switched off his mobile phone and disappeared, which made it clear that he was behind the murder.
Laxmisagar police and the Bhubaneswar Special Squad had been tracking him, but he had already fled far by night. After raiding all his possible hideouts, police got information that he had fled to either Punjab or Surat.
Accordingly, police contacted both Ludhiana Police in Punjab and Surat Police. Acting on the information provided by the Commissionerate Police, Surat Police launched an operation. Last night, after getting information that Balabhadra was roaming in the Vadodara area, a joint team arrested him.
