Bhubaneswar, May 4: In the ongoing investigation of the high-profile abduction and murder of Gopalpur plot businessman Sudhir Kumar Patra, the Bolero driver Shubham Nayak and his associate Shubham Goud, alias Gedu, have returned to jail after two days of police remand.
Police, after questioning the duo during remand, were able to reconstruct the entire sequence of events from the time of the abduction. Yesterday, the accused were taken to the crime scene at Banagaon for a detailed re-enactment.
According to their statements, the main accused, Kalu Charan Pradhan, along with the duo, had brought Sudhir to Banagaon police station area. After abducting Sudhir there, Kalu and Shubham Goud got stuck at Hinjilikatu. Meanwhile, Shubham Nayak drove the Bolero carrying the other accused and Sudhir toward Buguda, where the vehicle remained in Mathura. From there, the accused moved Sudhir in another vehicle while Shubham Nayak returned with the Bolero to Hinjilikatu. At Hinjilikatu, Kalu instructed the other accused, via phone, to brutally assault Sudhir.
Sudhir was later beaten to death in the Ramapada forest under Buguda police jurisdiction by Surya Pratap Singh and other accomplices. During the abduction and murder, Kalu remained in phone contact with all involved, even guiding the disposal of Sudhir’s body after the murder.
Background checks reveal that Kalu, a graduate who had previously worked in Andhra Pradesh in a factory and in domestic banking jobs in Brahmapur, had been involved in financial irregularities before turning to crime. His brother is a cyber expert, and both brothers were involved in cyber fraud. Recently, Kalu’s brother was arrested by UP police, during which Kalu came into contact with the most-wanted Surya Pratap Singh, who later tasked him with the abduction of Sudhir.
Currently, nine accused in the Sudhir Patra case are in jail, while four are still absconding. The police have deployed extensive teams to apprehend the remaining suspects. Superintendent of Police, Brahmapur, Dr. Sarvana Vivek, stated that after returning from West Bengal, a special independent team is ready to pursue operations outside the state.
The police have already recovered one of the three weapons used in the crime, while the remaining two were allegedly disposed of in the Buguda Baghuwa Dam. Despite the assistance of fire brigade and magnet-based searches, the weapons have not been found, and authorities caution that they may pose a risk if submerged in the dam.
Investigators are also determining whether any of Sudhir’s family members or other relatives were involved in the abduction and murder. The probe is underway, and police continue to track all possible leads.
