Ganjam: Nine Arrested in Digapahandi Double Murder Case

Berhampur: In a breakthrough, the police arrested nine accused in connection with the sensational double murder case in Digapahandi area of Ganjam district.

This has been informed by Berhampur SP Pinak Mishra at a press briefing on Tuesday.

The prime accused Prasanta Kumar Gouda and eight of his closed associates were arrested by Digapahandi police in connection with murder of Sudarshan Suar and Sudhir Patro in the post-Panchayat poll violence.

Prasanta Gouda, a native of Palajhari village, is a well known Ganja peddler. He was staying at Bhismagiri. Digapahandi police was searching for him as he was an absconder in the murder case.

On May 2 night, police got information from reliable source that Gouda and his associates were coming to Bhismagiri to retrieve ganja stored at his under-construction house at Bhismagiri. Gouda was apprehended and the contraband ganja was seized, according to police.

Sudarshan Suara and Sudhir Patra were murdered on April 23.

In the 2022 elections to the Panchayal Raj Institution, wife of Prasanta Gouda and wife of Rabi Gouda had contested for the post of Sarpanch of Nimakhandi Panchayat. During the elections, the deceased Sudhir Patro and Sudarshan Suar, who originally belonged to the village of Prasanta Gouda i.e.. Palajhari, had campaigned for wife of Rabi Gouda.

In the elections, despite Prasanta Gouda spending around Rs 40 lakhs, his wife was defeated by only four votes. This had infuriated Prasanta Gouda and he held grudges against Sudhir Patro and Sudarshan Suar citing that his own villagers had campaigned and voted against them.

Prasanta Gouda and his closed associates conspired to murder Sudhir Patro and Sudarshan Suar and held meetings at various places for planning. Subsequently, he and his friends hired three professional assailants for Rs 50.000 to murder Sudhu Patro and Sudarshan Suar, the police said.