Jajpur, March 23: Fifteen persons were arrested today for indulging in arson following the murder of 38-year-old railway sub-contractor Subash Swain of Dandasana in Jajpur. They were remanded to judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected.

The accused persons had assaulted the employees of a construction company and torched its office on March 13 accusing the company of involving in Swain’s murder.

“Three cases have been lodged in connection with arson and alleged murder. We have arrested 15 persons from five villages. We are looking for some more,” Jajpur superintendent of police D.S. Kuttey told The Telegraph.

Since the incident, the accused had been absconding. Acting on a tip-off that they were back in their respective villages, police arrested them. “I had formed four squads to nab the culprits. Each squad was being monitored by an inspector,” Kuttey said.

Swain’s body was found near the company’s site office, which was engaged in construction work of railway line in Jenapur area, on March 13. Enraged locals resorted to arson by torching the office and its six vehicles, including two earth-digging machines, parked at the site. The company’s property worth lakhs was allegedly gutted.

All workers and employees of the construction company fled from the scene following the incident and construction work had been stopped. The irate mob had staged a road blockade demanding compensation and a job to the kin of the deceased by placing Swain’s body on the road.