Dhenkanal, May 15: The Rasol police registered a case of murder in connection with the mysterious accidental death of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) block chairman Nabaghan Sahu of Hindol here.

Inspector-in-charge of Rasol police station Nirod Nayak said a case was registered after Muralidhar filed a complaint with the police that his brother had been murdered by three persons belonging to his village Ganjara.

The chairman had died on Saturday when a Scorpio hit him from behind near his house. The police on the basis of Muralidhar’s complaint detained one Titu Rout from the village while two others, including the main accused Jitu, were absconding.

Jitu is said to be close to the local MLA and minister for women and child welfare Anjali Behera. The Scorpio belonging to a travel agency was also seized.

“We are interrogating Titu about the incident and possible involvement of others in the death” said Angul superintendent of police Satyabrat Bhoi, who is in charge of Dhenkanal as his counterpart is on leave.

Without ruling out any bigger hand in the crime, he said the guilty would be booked.

“Our first task is to establish whether it is a murder case or not,” Bhoi added.

Sources said that Sahu had many enemies in his locality and had fallen out with Behera. So deep was the enmity that he could not convene panchayat samiti meeting of his block at Hindol for the last two years. However, Sahu was handpicked by local MLA Behera and was made block chairman in 2007.

Later, he broke away from the MLA having sharp difference with her. A crime branch inquiry into the incident could bring out the real culprit, sources said.