Bhubaneswar: An army jawan and his two nephews were arrested on Sunday for allegedly stabbing a 32-year-old YouTuber to death following an altercation in Mancheswar police station limits on Saturday night. The accused — Sangram Keshari Behera (37), a jawan posted in Jammu & Kashmir, and his nephews Samarendra Behera (20) and Sangram Behera (24) — were strangers to the victim, Rahul Maharana. Police said tensions escalated when one of Maharana’s friends was speaking loudly on his phone, accompanying him to a playground in GGP Colony, disturbing the trio seated nearby.When the jawan asked the friend to lower his voice, an argument broke out which escalated into a physical fight. Sangram allegedly stabbed Maharana in a fit of rage. Maharana, who had gone to the playground with three friends, was rushed to two private hospitals and later referred to Capital Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. “Prima facie, the murder appears to have stemmed from sudden provocation over a trivial issue. They were not acquainted, though all lived in the Rasulgarh-GGP Colony locality,” said ACP (Zone-V) Biswaranjan Senapati. Liquor bottles and glasses were found near the crime scene, though it is yet to be confirmed if the groups were drinking. The items have been sent for forensic examination and fingerprint matching. Police also got vital clue about suspects from mobile video clips recorded by some eyewitnesses on the spot.Police said none of the trio had any prior criminal record. “The jawan is attached to an infantry battalion in Jammu & Kashmir and had recently come home on leave,” ACP Senapati said. Though the trio fled on two motorcycles, police tracked them using CCTV footage and arrested them within three hours of the crime. Married three months ago, Maharana is survived by a grieving family, who have urged a thorough probe into the incident. “Murder over a petty argument is hard to believe. Police should question everyone involved to establish the true sequence of events,” said S K Das, the deceased’s relative.
