Poultry trader shot dead in Odisha, accused surrenders

JHARSUGUDA: A poultry trader was allegedly shot dead by a fellow trader in Mangal Bazar, near Sambalpur-Jharsuguda border, here on Monday night. While the victim Sahajahan Khan (26) succumbed on the spot, the accused, Imran Khan (28) surrendered before police.

Imran, also known as Ladan, invited Sahajahan to his farm near Beherapat for a discussion on poultry pricing. The meeting was also attended by Izaz Khan, who was an eye-witness to the unfolding of the bizarre event.

As the discussion led to a heated argument, Ladan allegedly shot Sahajahan in the chest killing him on the spot. Ladan then disposed of Sahajahan’s body in the Hirakud Reservoir and discarded the weapon.

Izaz, meanwhile, fled the spot and informed Sahajahan’s family. The police, upon receiving a report, began their investigation, leading to Ladan’s surrender at the Sadar Police Station.

Senior police officials, including Jharsuguda SP Smit P Parmar, SDPO Umasankar Singh, and Sadar IIC Swapnarani Gochhayat, visited the crime scene to oversee the investigation. A trader was shot dead over a business dispute. The accused Imran, is in custody, while police teams are searching for the murder weapon, said the SP. A murder case has been registered at the Sadar Police Station, and further efforts are underway to recover the weapon and gather additional evidence.