Six arrested for Puri triple murder

Six people were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the killing of three members of a family in Odisha's Puri district, a top police officer said.

The victims, all in their 30s, were chased and hacked to death on Sunday near a police camp here, which was set up on the occasion of Rath Yatra, he said.

Initial investigation suggests the incident was the fallout of a long-standing dispute over land ownership, Director General of Police (DGP) R P Sharma told PTI.

"The mastermind of the triple murder, Pattnaikiya Chhak, was among the six arrested today. While Chhak was apprehended from Puri-Bhubaneswar highway, the rest were nabbed from other places in the district," the DGP said.

The incident had triggered panic among the locals, with some of them on Sunday blocking the national highway which connects Puri with Bhubaneswar, demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

The matter was also raised in the Assembly, with the opposition BJP and the Congress coming down heavily on the Odisha government over its alleged failure to check crime.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, BJP's Pradipta Kumar Naik, sought a discussion on the law and order situation in the state by suspending the Question Hour.

Taking a dig at the Naveen Patnaik government, Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra said 'jungle raj' prevails in Odisha.

Both the parties demanded a statement from the chief minister on the matter.