Murder accused shot dead in broad daylight over family rivalries in Odisha

ROURKELA: A murder accused was shot dead in broad daylight by three motorcycle-borne assailants on the busy ring road near Traffic Gate square in Plant Site police limits here.

The victim, Avesh Rai, in his thirties, is undergoing treatment at Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) and his condition is stable. The incident occurred around 9 am when Avesh, who works as a lineman for an auto-rickshaw stand, was standing near the Traffic Gate. The attackers opened fire on him and sped away.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police attributed the incident to a prolonged rivalry between two families with criminal records. One of the three attackers was the son of a man allegedly killed by Avesh in 2004.

DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said the incident took place in the wake of a prolonged enmity involving a series of violent incidents spanning 23 years. He said that in 1997 one Bhagwan Sahu orchestrated the killing of Avesh’s mother in the Traffic Gate vegetable market. In 2004, Avesh with his three accomplices killed Bhagwan in the same market.