Man stabbed to death near Swargadwar in Puri after minor altercation

Puri: A 38-year-old man who had come to Puri to perform the last rites of his friend’s relative was allegedly stabbed to death near Swargadwar on Thursday night following a minor altercation. The deceased has been identified as Ranjan Kumar Das of Bhadrak district.His friend Manas Nayak, 35, sustained serious injuries after being attacked with a knife and is undergoing treatment. The accused, Tanmay Mahapatra, 30, a resident of Bali Sahi in Puri, was arrested by Sea Beach police.Manas said that he had come with six friends and relatives at Swargadwar around midnight to cremate the body of his relative Tuna Dei. As coconut was required for the cremation ritual, Ranjan, Manas, another friend Abhiram Barik and their vehicle driver Prakash Jena went to purchase it. While walking near Chaitanya Square, the group was allegedly stopped by Tanmay, who objected to their loud conversation. This led to a verbal spat, which soon escalated. During an argument between Ranjan and Tanmay, the accused suddenly pulled out a knife from his waist and slit Ranjan’s throat. Ranjan collapsed on the spot, bleeding profusely. When the other three attempted to flee, Tanmay chased them and stabbed Manas in the chest and hand. Locals rushed both victims to hospital, where doctors declared Ranjan dead on arrival.Locals managed to overpower the accused and informed police. Sea Beach police reached the spot and arrested Tanmay. After being discharged from hospital, Manas lodged a written complaint in the police station. Ranjan’s body was sent to Puri district headquarters Hospital for post-mortem examination and later taken to his native village Apanda in Bhadrak district, where his last rites were performed. Ranjan is survived by his wife, two minor children and parents.Puri SP Prateek Singh said that preliminary investigation revealed the murder occurred following a verbal altercation that escalated into a fight.