Simdega, March 28: A 30-year-old man from Odisha was allegedly strangled to death and his body set on fire in Jharkhand’s Simdega district, police said on Saturday. Three persons have been arrested in connection with the murder.
The deceased, identified as Shiva Sahu, hailed from Sundargarh district in Odisha. His charred body was recovered from Tikra forest under Jaldega police station limits on March 11, police said.
According to investigators, the accused had abducted Sahu from Odisha on March 10 and brought him to the forest area in Jharkhand, where he was allegedly strangled to death with a rope. The body was later set ablaze using petrol in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The arrested accused have been identified as Kishore Kerketta (35), the main आरोपी, along with Sanjay Kerketta (38) and Budhu Lohra (38), all residents of Odisha.
Baiju Oraon said the crime was allegedly motivated by personal enmity. “Sahu had been sexually harassing his wife, who was an acquaintance of the deceased, for quite some time… Accordingly, they plotted his murder,” he said.
Describing the sequence of events, the officer added, “On March 10, the trio abducted Sahu and brought him to the forest in Jharkhand, where they strangled him to death with a rope. Thereafter, to destroy the evidence, they poured petrol on the body and set it on fire.”
Police have registered an FIR in the case. All three accused were produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, officials said.
AI generated image
32
