Two persons including one with criminal records were suspected to have been killed and burnt by a rival group in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Thursday.

Police recovered their half-burnt bodies from a roadside at Mohada under Digapahandi police station area.

The deceased were identified as Siba Gouda (31) and Litu Padhy (48) of Lathi village on the outskirts of Berhampur.

Siba was involved in at least two criminal cases and was arrested by Digapahandi police before being granted bail, police said.

There was no case pending against Litu, police said, adding the duo was into tractor business.

According to police, unidentified men set the bodies and their motorbikes on fire to erase evidence after killing them. They might have been stoned to death, police said.

Senior police officers, including Berhampur SP Sarabana Vivek M, rushed to the spot and started investigation.

“We have detained at least 17 suspects from nearby villages,” the SP said.

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