Cuttack: Cuttack Police have successfully cracked the murder case of a 60-year-old man found dead near the Kathajodi riverbank, arresting Ashok Samal (65) within days of the crime. The breakthrough came after sustained investigation involving CCTV analysis, technical inputs and ground-level intelligence, police said on Thursday.
According to an official press note, the case relates to Badambadi Police Station Case No. 22 dated January 11, 2026, registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the basis of a complaint lodged by Rajesh Kumar Das of Hazari Lane, Purighat. His uncle, Prakash Das (60), was brutally murdered near the Khannagar Kathajodi riverbank in the early hours of January 11.
Soon after the incident was reported, senior officers of Cuttack UPD, including the IIC of Badambadi Police Station, ACP Zone-VI and the Special Squad, rushed to the spot. A scientific team examined the crime scene, while a Special Investigation Team was constituted on the direction of the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar–Cuttack, to ensure speedy detection of the case.
CCTV footage collected from the surrounding areas proved crucial, revealing that a single person approached the spot from the Manimandir side and fled towards the CNBT Bus Stand after committing the crime. Based on the footage, investigators built a suspect profile and combined it with technical analysis and local intelligence, ultimately leading to the identification and arrest of Ashok Samal, a resident of Jobra, Samal Sahi in Cuttack.
During interrogation, police found that the accused and the deceased were known to each other and frequently consumed alcohol together. On January 10, both reportedly met near the CNBT Bus Stand and went to a railway underbridge near Press Chak to drink. After consuming alcohol, Prakash Das left the accused near the underbridge and returned home, while the accused, heavily intoxicated, lost consciousness.
When he regained sense, the accused suspected that ₹4,000 had been stolen from his pocket by the deceased. Acting on this suspicion, he searched for Prakash Das and found him sleeping near the Khannagar Ring Road. An altercation followed, during which the accused allegedly picked up a concrete stone and struck the victim on the head. When the victim attempted to cry for help, he was attacked again with another stone, causing fatal injuries and leading to his death at the spot.
After committing the crime, the accused reportedly went to a petrol pump where he worked and spent the night there. He was later apprehended by police and arrested. The accused is being forwarded to the court on Thursday, while verification of his criminal antecedents is underway. Further investigation into the case is continuing.
