Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police have failed to crack some high-profile cases, while several criminals remain at large. The Telegraph presents a status report of some of these cases.

Murder most foul

The decomposed body of retired banker Balaram Sahoo, 68, was recovered from his house in Kalinga Nagar on February 18. Nearly a month has passed, but Khandagiri police are yet to arrest the killers.

Inspector in charge of Khandagiri police station, Sanjeev Satpathy, said they were investigating the matter from several angles.

“We have got some clues and hope to arrest the accused soon,” said a senior cop.

Rival in abduction

The Khandagiri police are also clueless about the kingpin in the kidnapping of businessman Subash Agarwal, 47, and one of his cousins.

The duo were abducted by goons hired by his one-time business partner and Andhra Pradesh-based construction company owner Srinivas Gundury Rao on February 15 from Kolathia.

Agarwal was rescued from Andhra Pradesh. Though Rao was present during the abduction, he managed to flee.

“We are trying to arrest him,” DCP Nitinjeet Singh said.

Shootout puzzle

Lingaraj police are yet to arrest the accused involved in the Garage Square shootout that injured contractor-realtor Sibaprasad Sahoo, 39.

The police have identified the accused as Jayashankar Das, but the goon remains at large.

Clueless cops

In December last year, Airfield police found the body of trader Bibhutesh Mishra, 27, from Bhimakunda, a sacred pond in Bhimatangi. The post-mortem report pointed to murder, but the cops are yet to arrest the accused.

Similarly, in July last year, Ipsit Nayak, 16, student of a private Plus Two college in Jatni, was found dead in a stone quarry pit. The post-mortem report revealed that he was murdered. Nayak’s family members, however, alleged that the teenager was ragged and killed by peers. However, the police have no answer in this case as well.

What police say

Senior police officers say staff shortage was hampering investigation.

“One officer has to take care of several cases. Besides, we are called for law and order duties every now and then. So, we do not get enough time to devote to a particular case,” said an inspector who did not want to be named.