The Crime Branch (CB) has arrested five persons in connection with the murder of BJP Khordha Mandal president Manguli Jena on April 14.
The arrestees are as Dibyalochan Gajendra, Simanchala Badajena, Papin Dalasinghray, Chandrakant Pradhan and Ispat Maharana. All of them as residents of Nirakarpur area in the district.
While all five were forwarded to the JMFC Court, Tangi, the CB has submitted a plea to take them on remand for further investigation and collect other vital clues.
Sources said there are as many as 17 cases pending against Gajendra, 11 cases against Badajena, four cases against Papin, two cases against Chandrakanta and three against Ispat.
The CB officials claimed that the attack on Jena which killed him was the second murder attempt and coincidentally three of the five arrestees were involved in the earlier attack.
On August 31, 2016, Dibyalochan, Simanchala and Papin had fired five to six rounds at Jena in an attempt to kill him but he sustained injuries on both his legs and managed to survive. The assailants on the other hand went underground for the last two and half years.
On April 14, a bike-borne miscreant fired three rounds and killed Jena near the party’s Nabina Bag office in the town.
It is alleged that Jena’s murder is fallout of political violence and past rivalry. While the BJP had alleged involvement of the BJD in the murder, the BJD had strongly refuted the charge.
Sources said two cases have been registered against the accused and investigation of both the cases is still underway.