Madhusudan Behera in police custody in Paradip on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Dec. 3: Police have cracked the murder of a labourer of the oil refinery here with arrest of the slain worker’s spouse and her paramour.

The badly mutilated body of 26-year-old Bipin Parida had been retrieved from near the under-construction mega project on November 26.

Parida had got marred hardly six months ago. Illicit relation of the deceased’s wife was the sole reason behind the murder, said inspector in charge of Kujang police station Chinmoy Rout.

The assailant, Madhusudan Behera, who confessed to have committed the crime had entered into a criminal conspiracy with the deceased’s wife, Sanghamitra Parida, 19.

Sanghamitra’s statement appeared to be self-contradictory. “We found out that she had been in constant touch with the assailant over cell phone. On the fateful day, she had talked to her paramour for a considerable time before and after the crime,” said Rout.

“Interrogation revealed that the accused was opposed to Sanghamitra getting married. After she got married, he planned to eliminate her spouse for taking a revenge. The woman had given consent to the plan. Behera is incidentally a relative of Sanghamitra,” said the police official.

Sanghamitra had informed Behera the exact time of the victim’s return from the refinery. Behera, armed with a sharp weapon, killed him on the spot, said Rout.

The weapon used for the crime was seized. The deceased’s widow was produced before court for abetting the crime, Behera was sent to judicial custody under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.