Rourkela: A 28-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly pushing his friend to death from the top of an under-construction water tank in Sundargarh district following a dispute over a woman, police said. The deceased, Abhishek Mallick (28), and the accused, Kunal Das were close friends and residents of Lathikata.Police said Kunal was in a relationship with a woman but had begun suspecting that she was in contact with Abhishek and growing closer to him. The suspicion created tension between the friends. According to investigators, Kunal invited Abhishek to the top of an under-construction water tank at Trinath Colony on Tuesday night, allegedly on the pretext of consuming liquor. While the two were drinking atop the 40-ft-high structure, Kunal confronted Abhishek over the woman, leading to an argument. Kunal allegedly pushed Abhishek off the tank. He fell to the ground and died on the spot.Police said Kunal attempted to pass off the death as an accident before fleeing. Locals discovered the body on Wednesday morning and alerted Lathikata police. A police team and a scientific team recovered the body. Following the post-mortem, the body was handed over to Abhishek’s family.Kunal was detained and interrogated, during which he allegedly confessed and described how he pushed his friend from the tank. Police arrested Kunal on Thursday on charges of murder and produced him in court. “We have arrested the accused,” said IIC of Lathikata police station Rameswar Singh.
