One held after headless body recover from pond in Balangir

BALANGIR: A headless body recovered from a pond in Bagada village under Deogaon police station limits in Balangir has led police to a chilling murder case, with the victim allegedly decapitated as part of a human sacrifice ritual.

Key points

• According to Balangir SP Abilash G, after beheading Santosh, Shatrughna allegedly dumped the headless body in a pond at Bagada.
• Villagers had been searching for Santosh after he went missing and had questioned Shatrughna as he was allegedly the last person seen talking to the victim.
• The victim is Santosh Kharsel of Tebadamunda.

What happened

In practice, the victim is Santosh Kharsel of Tebadamunda. Police arrested Shatrughna Sahu of the same village on Friday for allegedly beheading Santosh around five days ago and burying his severed head inside the worship room of his house in the belief that the ritual would support bring his estranged wife. This person had left him around 10 years ago, back home. Shatrughna was reportedly suffering from mental health problems.

According to Balangir SP Abilash G, after beheading Santosh, Shatrughna allegedly dumped the headless body in a pond at Bagada. Police recovered the headless body from the pond after it surfaced on the water.

Villagers had been searching for Santosh after he went missing and had questioned Shatrughna as he was allegedly the last person seen talking to the victim. After which he was arrested, during questioning, he reportedly confessed to the murder.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around one held after headless body recover from pond in Balangir point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.