Balasore, Feb. 11: Police have initiated a probe into the death of choreographer and TV serial actor Ranjit Patnaik alias Raja Patnaik, 38.

Raja's uncle Amiya Patnaik alleged that his nephew had been murdered when he was returning to Bhubaneswar in an SUV after attending a stage show on Sunday. Television actress Jessy alias Pralipta Priyadarshini Samal and event manager Pralaya Jena were in the car, while one Dhaneswar Behera was driving it.

After taking Jena and Behera into custody, Soro police today began investigation. However, Jessy could not be traced. "All of them, including the driver, were summoned to appear at Soro police station. Since none of them appeared, we apprehended Jena and Behera. We are interrogating them," said inspector in charge of Soro police station Parsuram Sahoo.

"On Tuesday, Raja's uncle lodged an FIR alleging murder," said Sahoo.

Jena told the police that while they were returning after the show early on Sunday morning, there was an altercation between Jessy and Raja over an opera show organised at Taranga.

Following heated arguments between them, it is alleged that Raja stopped the car asking that he wanted to answer nature's call and jumped off the bridge near Kansabansa.

Raja reportedly suffered critical injuries after falling from about 35-feet-high bridge. They allegedly took him to Bhadrak district headquarters hospital in an ambulance, and at that time, from where Raja was later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital as his condition worsened.