Surat: Surat police have arrested three men for the murder of a 50-year-old man in the Pandesara area, allegedly triggered by suspicions of a love affair involving the victim’s nephew and one of the accused’s nieces. The main accused, Badri Geete, is believed to have harboured resentment over the relationship, which eventually led to a fatal attack.The deceased, Meetu Pradhan, was fatally attacked with a sharp weapon on Saturday night when tensions escalated between the two families. The victim’s nephew, 19-year-old Nandan Polai, had reportedly been in a relationship with Badri’s niece, which had triggered prior confrontations.According to the FIR filed by Chandan Polai, Nandan’s elder brother and a worker in a local textile unit, Badri had earlier attempted to assault Nandan about four months ago. Along with his associate Sushant Panigrahi, Badri had gone to Nandan’s house and attacked his mother, Jayanti Polai, when they failed to find Nandan. Following the assault, Nandan left Surat and returned to Odisha.On Saturday night, as Chandan’s father, Santosh Polai, and maternal uncles — Vidhyadhar, Sushant and Meetu Pradhan — were standing outside their society to see off Vidhyadhar, Badri approached them and began hurling abuses. He soon called his associates, Sushant Panigrahi and Amit Bauva, to the scene.Despite Chandan and his father pleading with Badri, he suddenly attacked Meetu Pradhan with a knife. Sushant Pradhan and Santosh Polai were also assaulted with sharp-edged weapons, while Vidhyadhar was thrashed with kicks and punches.All four victims were rushed to a hospital, where Meetu succumbed to his injuries. The three accused fled after the attack.Under the direction of Pandesara police inspector Hitesh Gadhvi, separate teams were formed to trace the accused. Panigrahi and Bauva were arrested within hours from Udhna railway station and Laxmi Nagar society, respectively. Badri was tracked down to Navapur in Maharashtra and detained near Kunal Beer Shop.Police sources confirmed that both Badri and Panigrahi are history-sheeters, previously booked under charges of grievous assault, criminal intimidation, and prohibition violations. While both work as textile labourers, Bauva is employed as an AC and refrigerator mechanic.Further investigation into the case is underway.
