Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police Thursday said 13 people, including the prime accused, have been arrested so far in the mob lynching of a GRP constable following an attempt to rape a woman on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar last week.
The Crime Branch, in a statement, said that the main accused, identified as Chinu alias Ranjit Patra (24) of Gangeswargada village under Cuttack Sadar police station area, was arrested Thursday.
A GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain (32) died after he was assaulted by several people near Ramachandrapur bridge under Balianta police station on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar May 7 after a road accident and a woman alleging that he attempted to rape her.
Investigation has revealed his (Chinu) alleged involvement in assaulting the deceased on the head, a vital part of the body, with a bamboo stick after the deceased had been immobilised by having his hands and legs tied with ropes, a senior CB official said.
The official said that prior to the arrest of the prime accused, another accused, identified as Bunty alias Judhisthira Jena (22), was arrested Monday. All the accused persons were arrested based on the visuals of the video recording of the lynching incident, the officer said.
While the local police had arrested 11 people, the CB nabbed two others after it took over the investigation of the case May 10, following a direction from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The CM ordered the Crime Branch to take over the probe, keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter where a woman alleged to have been sexually assaulted and the victim’s family demanding a ‘polygraph’ test of the alleged woman complainant.
The official said that the investigation is continuing on a priority basis, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend other persons involved in the incident. Sources said that the CB has identified the involvement of 16 people in the lynching incident.
