Berhampur: Police on Saturday found the severed body of a 45-year-old person at Bada Gumula.

The deceased has been identified as Bishnu Prasad Gouda.

Police are hopeful to catch Dr Hrushikesh Tripathy on charges of killing Gouda. Dr Tripathy has been absconding since September 3. "He would be arrested soon," said Berhampur additional superintendent of police Shantanu Kumar Dash.

Dr Tripathy is now posted as in-charge medical officer Chhatrapur Sub-Divisional Headquarters Hospital.

Interrogations have been made and a forensic team is engaged in work, while two police teams have been sent out of the state to nab the accused, said sub-divisional police officer Prabhat Routray.

The truth about the murder was revealed after the police traced out his former driver Shantanu Patra. He made a call to the deceased's wife on September 2 about the murder.

Patra revealed the name of the doctor's gardener, Gangadhar Behera, who had allegedly accompanied the medico in his car with the body in its dickey to Badagumula from Berhampur. He said the doctor had paid him Rs 350 to bury three polythene bags which he had described as biomedical waste, the police said.