Kukudakhandi: A senior cooperative society official was allegedly electrocuted after the computer system he was working at caught fire due to short-circuit at Lochapada village under this block in Ganjam district, Thursday.
The incident shrouded in mystery has spread shockwaves in the area. Family members claimed it as foul play and alleged it to be a murder. The deceased was identified as D Jagannath Patra, secretary of Lochapada Cooperative Society Bank.
The incident occurred when he was at the deposit counter of the bank during the lunch break while the rest of the staff had gone outside for lunch. It is suspected that miscreants might have burnt him to death in the absence of other officials of the bank.
Reports said that he was at the counter when suddenly the computer system caught fire due to an alleged short-circuit. He was electrocuted but the fire soon engulfed him and charred him to death. On being informed, fire personnel and police rushed to the spot but by then it was too late. A forensic team had also been pressed into service.
Police registered a case and started an investigation over a complaint filed by the deceased’s brother-in-law Abhisek Das, Sadar police IIC Santoshini Oram said.
Family members refused to buy the claim of accidental death due to fire and suspected it to be foul play. Das said that Patra was earlier attacked by miscreants when he was at home three months back. The miscreants barged inside his home and attacked him but he escaped.
