PRASANJIT SAHU, OP
Bhubaneswar: A Test Identification (TI) parade of accused Sridhar Panda, arrested in connection with Nayapalli rape case, was conducted at Jharpada Jail Wednesday, DCP Saravana Vivek M said.
The DCP said the investigation would be completed at the earliest and the chargesheet would be submitted within 15-20 days.
He also said police would seek to have the case tried in a fast-track court to ensure an early conclusion of the trial.
Questions have, meanwhile, been raised over the need for the TI parade.
Suspicion had emerged from the beginning over police covering the accused’s face with a towel.
While police had publicly shown the faces of criminals who had earlier been shot at, their different approach in this case has raised questions.
Police said the accused’s face was not shown because a TI parade was to be conducted.
However, the victim had reportedly stated in her complaint that she could not identify the accused because he was wearing a mask during the alleged rape.
The police have also seized what they initially described as a lighter gun and later recovered a firearm from the house of a relative’s sister-in-law.
The developments have fuelled discussion over what police say is a new line of investigation in the rape case.