Police on Friday arrested the main conspirator behind the killing of the district BJD youth wing president Jasobant Parida on March 25. He was identified as Subash Khuntia.
Sources said Khuntia was nabbed from Kainbila village in Kamakshyanagar of the district. Police also seized a mobile phone from his possession.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Khuntia was continuously keeping a tab on the movements of Parida, a few days before his murder.
On the fateful day, he had informed the contract killers about the movements of Parida. He is a close associate of mastermind Rakesh Nath and he was given a new mobile phone to keep a watch on Parida, said police. Earlier on April 5, police had arrested eight persons, including the mastermind Rakesh. While two of them were nabbed from West Bengal, six others were held from Talcher in Angul and Begunia in Khordha district.
Police informed that Rakesh was involved in tender fixing and extorting money from a construction company in Kamakhynagar. Parida, as a local leader had intervened in the matter following which the company had stopped paying Rakesh.
The matter worsened after Rakesh’s father, who worked in the same company was sacked from his job. Holding a grudge, Rakesh, along with his associates plotted a plan to kill Parida and hired some contract killers.
On March 25, while Parida went to his new house in his car a group of miscreants came in a Bolero and hurled eight bombs at his vehicle. As Parida ran for his life, the armed miscreants fired five rounds at him. Parida sustained bullet injuries on his head and was rushed to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack where doctors declared him brought dead.