Personal animosity led to advocate’s murder

BHUBANESWAR: EVEN as lawyers in Puri are up in arms over murder of fellow advocate Laxmidhar Mohapatra, investigation has revealed that main accused Jyoti Shankar Pradhan’s personal animosity against the deceased sent him on a murderous rage.Puri police arrested Pradhan along with his associate Babuli Nayak on Friday, two days after Mohapatra was bludgeoned to death at a petrol pump.

During interrogation, police found out that Pradhan, who runs a physiotherapy centre near Gundicha Temple, had past acquaintance with Mohapatra. The main accused’s wife was also assisting Mohapatra.
 Pradhan told the police that he was frustrated after suffering financial losses due to Mohapatra’s advice in investment.

 “After liquidating a landed property, Pradhan had invested as per Mohapatra’s advice but was unhappy with him because of losses,” Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi said. After a soured relationship, the SP said, the two had levelled criminal charges against each other. While Pradhan had filed a case of assault against Mohapatra, the advocate had lodged a counter case too.

Pradhan was allegedly looking for an opportunity to settle a score against the advocate. On October 18, he saw Mohapatra with a relative and trailed him till the petrol pump.When the advocate noticed him and got suspicious about his motive, Pradhan hit him several times with a wooden plank and fled the place.
 Mohapatra was rushed to the district headquarters hospital before being shifted to a private hospital where he succumbed. Meanwhile, Puri Bar Association has called for a six-hour bandh on Tuesday over the matter.