Bhubaneswar, Jan. 29: Police today arrested one Shiva Prasad Panda, 28, alias Bhabani, in connection with the triple murder that took place on January 27 at Bharatpur on the city outskirts.

The police said land dispute was the motive behind the murder of Chakradhar Sahu, 65, his wife Sukanti Sahu, 48, and Bhabani's septuagenarian grandmother Shantilata Pati.

The accused is alleged to have killed the three, including his grandmother, who had supported the other two in a property dispute case.

The police said the accused was married to Chakradhar's granddaughter in 2009. Later, Bhabani had been asking Chakradhar to transfer a piece of land in his name.

'Chakradhar, a vegetable vendor, had got 600sqft government land at Bharatpur under a government rehabilitation scheme for slum dwellers. Sukanti, who was Chakradhar's second wife, too, had received a plot of the same size through the same scheme. Bhabani wanted one plot to be transferred in his name,' said a police official.

'Sukanti had been opposing the proposal, and this led to arguments among Bhabani, Chakradhar and Sukanti in the past,' said police commissioner R.P. Sharma.

The police said that on the day of the incident, the accused went to Chakradhar's house and had a heated argument with Sukanti over the transfer of land. 'He hit Sukanti in the head with an axe. As she fell to the ground, Bhabani locked her house from outside. Then he went to her grandmother Shantilata's house and attacked her, too. She, too, died on the spot. After locking her house, the accused went out looking for Chakradhar,' said Sharma.

The police said that after sometime, Bhabani spotted Chakradhar, who was on his way home. The accused hit Charadhar in the head from behind. The 65-year-old, too, died on the spot, a few metres from his house.