Bhubaneswar: A suspected love triangle involving social media is believed to have led to the murder of a 15-year-old boy in Kataka, with police detaining a juvenile suspect while another accused remains absconding, officials said on Monday.
The victim, Sumant Sahu, a Class X student and resident of Raja Bagicha Badhei Sahi, was found dead near the lower Balijatra ground along the Mahanadi river. He had sustained a stab wound to the neck.
Kataka Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said the preliminary investigation indicated that the murder was linked to a suspected love triangle.
The detained juvenile is a college student in Kataka, while the second suspect studies at a college in Bhubaneswar, the DCP said. Police are making efforts to trace and apprehend the absconding suspect.
The detained juvenile will be produced before the Principal Magistrate of the Juvenile Justice Board, officials said.
The crime came to light after locals who had gone to the river to bathe spotted the body and alerted the police. A team from Cantonment police station reached the spot and launched an investigation with the assistance of a scientific team.
Investigators found bloodstains along a stretch of nearly 100 metres from the riverbank, suggesting that the trail could provide crucial clues in reconstructing the sequence of events.
Police also examined CCTV footage from the lower Balijatra ground to identify those involved in the crime. The footage helped investigators track down and apprehend one of the accused, the DCP said.
During the investigation, family members told police that Sumant had last spoken to a friend of his elder brother at around 8.40 am on the day of the incident.
They also informed investigators that two persons had visited their house at night two to three days before the murder and asked for Sumant. The duo left after being told that he was not at home.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder and the suspected social media connection as part of their probe.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened in the lower Balijatra area, with police intensifying patrolling following the murder.
