Puri woke up to sheer horror with two separate murders in a single day including the killing of a senior servitor of the Lord Jagannath Temple jolting the pilgrim town on Wednesday.
A former member of the Jagannath Temple, senior servitor and present secretary of the Suara Mahasuara Nijog, Krushna Chandra Pratihari was shot dead by unidentified miscreants near Barabati area.
An eyewitness said that two miscreants came on a motorcycle and opened fire two rounds of bullets on Pratihari during a land deal before fleeing the spot. The attack is believed to be a fallout of past enmity.
The senior servitor was immediately rushed to Puri district headquarters hospital but unfortunately treating physicians declared him dead.
In another incident, a youth allegedly hacked his mother to death at Subhadra Nagar under Penthakata Police limits in the district.
As per sources, the youth attacked his mother and other family members over a family dispute leaving one killed and three others critically injured.
The mother of the accused has been declared dead while his wife, father, and brother are undergoing treatment at Puri hospital.
Puri Collector Samarth Verma reached Puri hospital along with senior police officials to look into the murder cases and access the situation.
Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh informed media that the murder of the senior servitor Krushna Chandra Pratihari is a challenging case. “The prime target for the police is to nab the prime accused. As many as four teams have been formed to intensify the manhunt,” said Singh.