Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough under ‘Operation Garuda’, Odisha Police have arrested a 52-year-old man who had been absconding for 24 years after being accused in a 2001 murder case in Ganjam district.
The accused, identified as Udaya Pradhan, was apprehended from Chennai on Monday following a tip-off, police said.
He had been living under the alias “Ganesh” and working in a construction firm.
According to police, Udaya Pradhan, along with his two brothers, allegedly murdered Kaibalya Pradhan over a land dispute in Keranditola village — now under Chamakhandi police station — on July 6, 2001. While one of the accused, Musha Pradhan, was arrested on the day of the crime and later sentenced to life imprisonment, Udaya and his elder brother Pancham Pradhan had fled the village.
“Several earlier attempts to nab Udaya Pradhan had failed. This time, acting on credible intelligence, a police team tracked and arrested him in Chennai,” said Ganjam SP Subhendu Patra.
Chamakhandi IIC Sabyasachi Malla said the two brothers initially took shelter in Bengaluru, but following a dispute, Udaya moved to Chennai while Pancham’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Efforts are ongoing to locate and arrest Pancham Pradhan, who continues to evade the law. Musha Pradhan has already served his sentence and been released, police added.
