At least three persons were killed and another was critically injured when two groups clashed over matter related to a land dispute on the outskirts of the city at Safipur today, police said.
All the three deceased and the lone injured person belong to the Safipur village, police said, adding the injured Bijay Naik, who is now undergoing treatment at SCB medical college and hospital here, has been arrested. Police are also on the lookout of two other accused, who escaped from the spot.
"Preliminary investigation showed the clash was a fall-out of a heated exchange between the warring factions last evening over certain land dispute," said Cuttack city DCP Sanjiv Arora.
The deceased have been identified as Deepak Ojha, Ranjit Beura and Sanjay Swain. All the three deceased had criminal antecedents and cases were pending against them in the local police station and elsewhere, they said.
Their bodies were lying near Deepak Ojha's house with multiple sharp injuries on them, they said.
Arora said Bijay Naik was arrested in this connection and a blood-stained sword has been recovered from the spot.
In the view of the tension, additional police personnel have been deployed in the village.
