The main accused in the fatal bomb-bullet-knife attack on JMM loyalist Deepak Munda in Adityapur on Wednesday has been identified as sand business rival Krishna Gope and police are trying to identify his accomplices.

A resident of Manjhitola in the industrial town, 4km from Jamshedpur, Krishna (32) had led a three-member gang to kill Deepak (35) while he was sipping tea on Tata-Kandra Road near S-Type area. The gang had lobbed two nail bombs on Deepak's SUV, shot him twice in the chest and head, and then stabbed him before disappearing on bikes towards Gamharia.

Adityapur thana OC Arvind Kumar on Thursday said they had zeroed in on Krishna after quizzing eyewitnesses and passers-by on a 5km stretch of road, starting from the murder scene and going towards Gamharia.

"Both Krishna and Deepak were interested in sand ghats, and were at daggers drawn for the past one year. Since Krishna is absconding, our suspicions have been confirmed. We are trying to identify five others - two of them had accompanied their kingpin to kill Deepak," the officer said, adding that police were questioning family members of the key accused to zero in on his aides.

In a related development, a four-member team from the forensic science laboratory in Ranchi, which had reached Adityapur late on Wednesday, collected samples of gunpowder from Deepak's SUV, besides nails and splinters.

A source in police said that the forensic team had sought the post-mortem report to gauge the impact of the nail bombs on Deepak's body. However, the report was not ready and they left without it.

Two years ago, JMM leader Salai Hansda was killed in a similar nail bomb explosion at Karandih in Parsudih thana area. Police suspect the role of the same gang in the recent murder. "The workmanship (in making bombs) is similar. These explosives are packed with nails to increase wounding ability. They are usually fatal," a source at Adityapur thana said.

Back in Saldih bustee, where Deepak lived and was worshipped by many for being a Robin Hood figure for the poor, a large funeral procession was organised in the morning to cremate him at Parbati Ghat in Bistupur in the steel city. Before the procession began, hundreds of local residents paid their last respects to their slain Samaritan.

"Deepak ji was earlier with the BJP, but two years ago, he switched over to JMM. That is when he joined sand trader Bobby Singh's business. We have deep respect for this man because he always helped the poor and the needy," said Samir Mahto, a resident of Saldih.

Deepak is survived by his two widows. A relative said he had no children with his first wife, but the second one is currently expecting.