The Odisha Police arrested two people, including a Cashewnut Factory owner and the contract (supari) killer in connection with the murder of young journalist Tarun Acharya, who was brutally murdered in Khallikote in Ganjam district on May 27.

The police claimed to have cracked the case, saying P Shyamsundar Prusty, the owner of the Cashewnut processing factory, had an altercation with Tarun Acharya over the airing of a news report, exposing the use of child labourers in his unit.

Prusty had reportedly taken the help of contract killers to teach Tarun Acharya a lesson, but the intention was not to kill him, but to cause injury to him. However, the contract killers slit his throat and murdered him. The deal was made at just Rs 50,000 to teach Tarun a lesson, but it took his precious life.

Along with Prusty, N Ramesh Reddy, owner of a light and sound unit at Brahmapur, was also arrested. Two more people, who were involved in the crime, are absconding. Tarun Acharya was working with Kanak TV.