Bhubaneswar: Over 10 days after the charred body of a 61‑year‑old sorcerer was discovered at his Mandarabasta village home in Puri district on Aug 13, police on Monday disclosed a chilling murder plot that allegedly resulted from his failure to deliver on two bizarre promises — breaking a love affair and unearthing hidden treasure — in exchange for hefty payments.The murder mystery was solved with the arrest of accused Raj Kishore Sahoo (32), Satyabrata Mallick (19) and Suresh Sahoo (22), all hailing from Khurda district, on Sunday night.Police said ‘tantrik’ Parshuram Pradhan was stabbed and burnt alive by the three men at his Mandarabasta village home in Puri’s Kanas area on the night of Aug 11, while his family was away in Bhubaneswar. The incident came to light two days later when Pradhan’s wife, Kanaklata Sethi (51), returned home to find his charred remains.According to police, Raj Kishore, the prime accused, had sought Pradhan’s help to end his younger brother’s relationship with a girl, which the family opposed. “Pradhan charged Rs 19,000 for a ritual to end the relationship, but it failed. Later, he lured Raj Kishore by claiming that an antique gold idol weighing 1.7 kg and hidden treasure lay buried in his land. He extracted another Rs 2 lakh from Raj Kishore on the pretext of revealing the exact location,” Puri superintendent of police (SP) Prateek Singh said.When neither promise materialised, Raj Kishore, who owned a roadside eatery in Khurda district, demanded his money back.On the fateful night, Raj Kishore, accompanied by his two associates, confronted Pradhan at his home while his family was away.“Raj Kishore carried a knife, chili powder and ropes. When Pradhan refused to return the money, a heated argument broke out. Raj Kishore stabbed him, gagged his mouth to prevent his cries for help, and, along with the others, tied him up before setting him ablaze,” Singh said.To mislead investigators, the accused placed a gas cylinder at the scene to make the death appear accidental, though there was no evidence of explosion.Police zeroed in on Raj Kishore after scrutinising deceased Pradhan’s call records and online banking transactions, which confirmed that the money had been transferred digitally. “The motive was rooted in deception and greed. The accused felt cheated both emotionally and financially, and resorted to brutal violence. A mix of superstition and fraud culminated in this killing,” SP Singh said.