Police on Thursday claimed to have cracked the murder of Biju Yuva Janata Dal district president Jashobanta Parida and arrested eight persons in connection with the incident.
District SP Santosh Naik said police arrested the prime accused Rakesh Nath and seven others in connection with the case.
Rakesh had hired some contract killers from outside the State to bump off Parida because he was opposing him for collection extortion money from different companies. They had also old rivalry over bagging tenders.
Rakesh was also furious after one of the companies retrenched his father. Following which he decided that if the BJD leader was removed from the way it would be easier for him to carry on his illegal activities, Naik said.
Notably, Jashobanta Parida was shot dead by unidentified miscreants near Gandhi Mandir in Kamakhyanagar in the district on March 26.
The attackers had hurled bombs at the car in which Parida was travelling on Hospital Road here. After he got down from the vehicle, they fired a volley of bullets at him.