Police here on Wednesday arrested one Prasant Nayak, husband of defeated sarpanch candidate Priyatama Nayak of Nijamapur gram panchayat under the Mangalpur police station in Jajpur district on the charge of killing panchayat samiti ember (PSM) Kedar Das.
The body of 46-year-old Das had been found with injury marks in the river Budha near Chainapur Ghat on August 3.
Prasanta Nayak’s wife Priyatama Nayak had contested for the post of Sarpanch in Nijamapur panchayat but had lost the poll. The arrested man had given around Rs 3 lakh to the deceased during the election campaigning After the end of the poll, Nayak asked the money many times as his wife was defeated. But Das refused to return. As a result, Nayak hired criminals to kill Das, said Jajur SP Charan Singh Meena.
The arrested man was booked under various Sections of IPC and produced in the court at Jajpur Road on Wednesday . The court rejected his bail application and remanded him in jail custody, added the SP.