Bodies of two youths were recovered from a closed portion along NH-16 under the Panikoili police station in Jajpur district on Friday morning.
The incident triggered tension as locals demanded immediate arrest of the accused in the case. The deceased youths, identified as Bijay Sahoo and Manas Ranjan Das, were residents of nearby Janha village in the district. Sahoo was an auto-driver while Das was working in a private company.
Locals spotted the bodies on the road along the NH, which was closed due to ongoing construction work, and informed police.
Sahoo’s family members alleged murder.
Some villagers alleged that both Sahoo and Das had gone to meet a girl of nearby village on Thursday night. The villagers further suspected involvement of the family members of the girl behind the death of the duo.
“It seems a well-planned murder,” alleged a resident of Janha village,
The Panikoili police started an investigation and questioning the family members of the two youths and villagers. Police also seized a tiffin box containing makeup items and a motorcycle from the spot.
“The two bodies will be sent for postmortem,” said a police official.