Shree Jagannatha Temple’s Servitor murder accused identified, informs Puri police

Puri: A day after the murder of a senior servitor of the Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh today revealed the persons involved in the incident have been identified and will be nabbed soon.

Singh said the case of senior servitor Krushna Chandra Pratihari’s killing is top priority for the Puri District Police and investigations are on right direction. The four special police teams formed to investigate the case have been carrying out raids at different places.

“The persons who are involved in the murder case have been identified. We expect they will be detained soon,” the SP informed.

On being asked the motive behind murder of Pratihari, the SP said the police are investigating the case from all angles. After gathering sufficient evidence, the police will reach a conclusion. The top priority is detention of the accused, the top police official said.

While two police teams have been conducting raids in Pipili, Satapada, Brahmagiri and Krushnaprasad, another two teams are carrying out searches in Ganjam, Balasore and Bhadrak.

It is worth to mention, on Wednesday morning, senior servitor Krushna Chandra Pratihari was shot dead by unidentified miscreants near the Barabati area in Puri. The servitor was rushed to the hospital where a doctor declared him dead.

On January 20, Pratihari, the secretary of Suar Mahasuar Nijog of the temple, was acquitted along with five others in the sensational murder of former BJD councillor and servitor Taluchha Bhagaban Mohapatra alias Guna Singhari. The murder of Guna Singhari was carried out in a similar manner in August 2012 in the Puri town.