Shop of murder victim Sanjay Kumar Gouda near murder spot at GGP colony in Bhubaneswar and (below) police at the scene of crime. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 28: After two brutal killings that took place last week, another youth was beheaded mercilessly in the capital last night. The police have stepped up efforts to arrest the killers of 32-year-old Sanjay Kumar Gouda whose, headless body was found on the road near Rasulgarh Canal close to Gada Gopinath Prasad (GGP) Colony last night.

The severed head of the youth was found lying 15-feet away from the body. Gouda hailed from Odialapur village in Ganjam district and owned a readymade concrete sump shop in the GGP colony where he had been living for the last three years.

Sources said since the killers of Sanjay are suspected to be from Ganjam, the police yesterday raided Jharpada jail where some dreaded criminals from the district are serving time. Police also conducted raids at various other places in Bhubaneswar and Ganjam.

“We are trying our best to arrest the culprits. We are looking into different aspects of the case,” an officer said.

According to Mancheswar police, last evening they got a call that one person had been killed in an accident on the canal road. What the policemen saw on reaching the spot was horrifying. The youth’s head was lying nearly 15-feet away from the body. His helmet and the motorcycle were lying on the road.

Local residents said they had seen a vehicle coming towards Sanjay’s shop and then heard a crash.

“We thought it was an accident and informed the police. We saw an auto speeding away from the spot,” said a local trader. After Sanjay’s brother Ramesh Chandra Gouda, who lives in Khurda, identified the body, it was sent for post-mortem. Police said primary investigation revealed that the goons came in an auto and knew Sanjay well and they beheaded him with a sharp weapon.

The police are yet to find the motive of the murder. The family members of the victim, however, alleged that a few days ago some youths from Ganjam had come to the shop of one of the brothers of Sanjay in Jatni and demanded money from him. Although they demanded Rs 20,000 from him, he could give them Rs 5,000 only.

The goons also demanded some goods kept in the shop but he refused to part with them. On their way back from the shop of Sanjay’s brothers the rogues were attacked by some youths.

“The next day the brother of one of these youths threatened Sanjay with dire consequences. Sanjay had earlier had a brawl with them and on his complaint one of them had been sent to jail,” said Ramesh Gouda.

Giving a different twist to the incident, some persons close to Sanjay said although he was married and had two children, he had developed a relationship with a girl on his several visits to the house of a contractor who was working with him.

Local traders said recently some youths had come in an auto to Sanjay’s shop and had a heated argument with him. Since then a particular auto was regularly spotted in the area which points to the possibility of some goons keeping a constant watch on him. Police said they were working on all these possibilities.