Cuttack, Nov 28: Thirty months after the high-profile murder of Mantu Barik, Tigiria police have arrested three more individuals in connection with the case, raising the total number of accused in custody to nine.
The newly arrested accused-Deepak Pradhan, Shripati Pradhan, and Nanda Behera-from Gokarnkhal village had been absconding since the incident. Earlier, six individuals involved in the brutal killing had already been apprehended and sent to court. The arrests were confirmed by Tigiria police officer-in-charge Ipsita Priyadarshini, who stated that the accused have been formally sent to court.
The incident took place on April 19, 2023, in Jemadeipur village under Tigiria police station limits. Mantu Barik was allegedly attacked with various sharp weapons over longstanding enmity and brutally beaten to death.
In the aftermath, over a hundred locals from the area, along with the victim’s family, staged a protest on the Khuntuni-Narsinghpur state highway (State Highway 65), placing Mantu’s body on the road and demanding immediate action against the culprits. Following a written complaint by the family, the police registered the case and launched a formal investigation.
Seventeen months after the murder, Mantu’s mother approached the Chief Minister, raising concerns about delays in the investigation and demanding justice. Subsequently, police intensified their probe, leading to the recent arrests.
