Bhubaneswar, Aug 8 (IANS): Two people were killed following a dispute over a four-wheeler parking in an apartment at Sundarpada under the Airfield Police station area in Bhubaneswar.

The deceased were identified as Rashmi Ranjan Sethi of Sundarpada and his friend Sambit Rout alias Julu of Kendrapara district.

The prime accused Ganesh Mallik and his two associates are still at large.

Rashmi and Julu had opened a food counter near the Kalyani Plaza Annex apartment at Sundarpada. Rashmi used to stay in a rented room of one of his friends Raj in the same apartment.

Meanwhile, Mallik, the supervisor of the apartment, had been objecting to parking of Rashmi's car in the apartment. Ganesh reportedly argued spat with Rashmi and Julu over parking a few days back as well.

On Wednesday night, they again engaged in a heated argument over the parking issue which turned violent after which Ganesh and his aides attacked Rashmi with a knife.

The accused also assaulted Julu with a sharp-edged weapon when he tried to intervene to save Rashmi.

The accused fled the crime scene leaving Rashmi and Julu in a pool of blood.

The locals rushed the severely injured Rashmi and Julu to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared them dead.

The city police have launched an investigation into the matter on the complaint lodged by Sethi's mother.

"The Airfield Police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the accused. The police have been interrogating two of their associates, detaining them at the Airfield police station. A special team comprising the staff of the Airfield police station and the special squad team has been constituted. We are trying to arrest the accused persons at the earliest," Prateek Singh, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar said on Thursday.