Bhubaneswar, July 24: Police recovered the bodies of two persons, suspected to have been killed, in the last 12 hours in the city.
While the body of an auto-rickshaw driver was recovered from Kanan Vihar within Infocity police limits, the cops recovered an unidentified body near Sunderpur within Chandaka police limits. The cops suspect that the unidentified person, aged around 40 years, was strangulated and his body was later dumped near Chandaka.
The police recovered his body from near an under-construction road after local residents spotted it and informed them. "Prima facie it appears that the person was strangulated and we also found abrasion marks on the back. So, we suspect that the body was dragged on the road," said a police official.
The body of the auto-rickshaw driver Siba Shankar Mohanty, 19, was found with his throat slit. "There was also a stab injury on his abdomen. We found bloodstains up to a distance of around 50m," said a police official.
Investigations revealed that the deceased, a native of Balasore district, had been driving an auto-rickshaw in Bhubaneswar for the past five months. "He was a nice guy and never told me about any rivalry with others in the city. I had rented out my auto-rickshaw to him and he was properly doing his job," said Sanjay Kumar.
Deputy commissioner of police, Bhubaneswar, Satyabrata Bhoi said an investigation had been started after registering two different cases. "We have sent the photographs of the deceased to various district police to ascertain their identities. We suspect past rivalry to be behind the second incident," he said.
City residents raised questions over the state capital's law and order situation after the two alleged murders.