Bulldozers Raze Houses Of Six Murder Accused In Odisha's Rourkela
The demolition drive was carried out at Narayani Basti under the Sector 7 police station limits, where the accused had allegedly constructed illegal houses on encroached land.
Bhubaneswar: Authorities on Thursday demolished the allegedly illegal houses of six men arrested in connection with a murder case in Odisha's Rourkela, intensifying a crackdown on criminal activities in the steel city.
The demolition drive was carried out at Narayani Basti under the Sector 7 police station limits, where the accused had allegedly constructed illegal houses on encroached land. Officials also alleged that the settlement was being used as a hub for brown sugar trafficking.
The houses belonged to Chinu Haripa, Kalia Nayak, Chhotu Nayak, Babu Landa alias Santosh Nayak, Rohit Haripa and another accused arrested in the case.
According to police, the accused allegedly attacked two local youths who had been opposing the illegal drug trade in the area. During the assault, Tofan Bindhani, a resident of Rameswar Basti, sustained fatal injuries, while another youth, Shubhendu Sethi, was critically injured. The incident took place on June 16.
Following the murder, Rourkela Police launched an intensive investigation. On June 20, two of the principal accused, Chinu Haripa and Santosh Nayak, were arrested following a police encounter. Four more suspects were subsequently apprehended, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six.
As part of the administration's enforcement drive against illegal encroachments and criminal networks, authorities used bulldozers to demolish the allegedly unauthorised structures linked to the arrested accused.
Officials maintained that the demolition was carried out against illegal constructions in accordance with the law. Further investigation into the murder and the alleged narcotics network was underway.