Bulldozers Raze Houses Of Six Murder Accused In Odisha’s Rourkela

Bhubaneswar: Authorities on Thursday intensified a crackdown on criminal activities in the steel city by demolishing the allegedly illegal houses of six men arrested in connection with a murder case in Odisha’s Rourkela.

The demolition was carried out at Narayani Basti under the limits of Zone 7 police station, where the accused allegedly built illegal houses on the encroached land. Authorities also claimed that the settlement was used as a hub for the brown sugar trade.

The houses belonged to Chinu Haripa, Kalia Nayak, Chhotu Nayak, Babu Landa alias Santosh Nayak, Rohit Haripa and other accused arrested in the case.

According to the police, the accused allegedly attacked two local youths who were opposing the illegal drug trade in the area. During the attack, Tofan Bindhani, a resident of Rameswar Basti, was fatally injured, while another young man named Shubhendu Sethi was also seriously injured. The incident occurred on June 16.

Following the murder, Rourkela Police launched an intense investigation. On June 20, two of the prime accused, Chinu Haripa and Santosh Nayak, were arrested following a shootout with the police. Later, 4 more suspects were arrested, bringing the total number of detainees in the case to 6.

As part of the administration’s sanctions against illegal encroachments and criminal networks, authorities used bulldozers to demolish unauthorized structures allegedly linked to the arrested defendant.

Authorities claimed that the demolition was carried out against illegal buildings in accordance with the law. It was learned that the investigation into the murder and the alleged narcotics network continues.