Cuttack, April 13: Two persons were arrested today for allegedly gunning down Bijay Kumar Routray, a contractor, in broad daylight near Kandarpur on March 25.

Deputy commissioner of police Amitendra Nath Sinha today claimed that the contractor was murdered because of professional rivalry as he often used to bag contracts through tenders.

“He used to bid low and pocket contracts,” the DCP said, hinting that he had friends at right places. Routray, 45, was shot dead by three anti-socials while he was on his way to a construction site at Damadharpur under Cuttack Sadar police limits.

Two persons — Asit Kumar Das (20) and Sushant Sahoo alias Titi (25) — were arrested and produced before the court today. Police are looking for two more persons allegedly involved in this case.

The police said that on March 25, Das had fired the first shot at Routray who was sitting as a pillion rider. Though Das was arrested from Vani Vihar campus on April 3, he was taken into custody after he was discharged from S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital today.

Das had sustained a bullet injury on his right arm accidentally and was undergoing treatment in Bhubaneswar. He was later shifted to the S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Das has criminal antecedents and was allegedly involved in a case of attack on the warder of Alipingal jail in Jagatsinghpur.

Both Das and Sahoo have been arrested under Sections 302, 394, and 120 (b) of the Indian Pencal Code and Section 25/27 of the Arms Act.