Hotelier murdered in Puri, main accused held in encounter
Bhubaneswar: A hotelier in Puri was allegedly murdered by three men, including his own manager, early on Wednesday. Hours later, police detained the prime accused, manager Chandan Kumar Palar (27), following an encounter.Palar suffered a gunshot injury on his left leg during an exchange of fire and
By Debabrata Mohapatra
Bhubaneswar: A hotelier in Puri was allegedly murdered by three men, including his own manager, early on Wednesday.
Hours later, police detained the prime accused, manager Chandan Kumar Palar (27), following an encounter.Palar suffered a gunshot injury on his left leg during an exchange of fire and is now stated to be stable.According to police, Palar, his brother and another associate stabbed hotel owner Pabitra Nayak (45) to death inside his establishment around 1.30 am after a heated exchange linked to a financial dispute.“Prima facie, there was a disagreement between Nayak and Palar over monetary matters.
We are trying to ascertain the exact motive and circumstances leading to the murder,” said Puri SP Prateek Singh.Police are also probing allegations of a scuffle between the two over room tariffs and poor service offered to a sub-inspector. “All angles are being verified.
The main accused who is in our custody, is being questioned,” the SP said.After the crime, the trio fled. “Acting on intelligence inputs, we tracked Palar’s movement near Mata Matha road.
During the chase, he opened fire at our personnel, prompting controlled retaliatory firing.
He was hit in the leg and nabbed, while the other two accused escaped.
Separate teams are on the lookout.
If more persons are found involved in the conspiracy, they will face action,” Singh added.Police officers are examining CCTV footage and recording eyewitness statements.
Police said the hotel has only four or five rooms, most of whose occupants were asleep when the incident occurred. “We have found some witnesses,” another officer said.Tension mounted at the Puri district headquarters hospital where Palar was admitted.
Relatives of the deceased tried to storm the ICU where the accused was under treatment, leading to a brief scuffle with police.
Adequate security was deployed to prevent further unrest.“It appears to be pre-meditated murder.
The motive is still unclear.
Police should immediately arrest all the perpetrators and unravel the mystery,” said Nilakantha Swain, a relative of the deceased.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhubaneswar | Silver Rate in Bhubaneswar | Bank Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Public Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Petrol Price in Bhubaneswar | Diesel Price in Bhubaneswar | CNG Price in Bhubaneswar | LPG Price in BhubaneswarStay updated with the latest Bhubaneswar news.
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