Berhampur: A man who had been absconding for six years in connection with the alleged rape of two minor girls in Odisha’s Balasore district was arrested from Karnataka for his involvement in a recent murder in the city, police said Tuesday.
The accused, who had been living under the alias Sunil Swain, was identified as Santanu Patra (29) of Srijanga village in Balasore district.
He was arrested by Berhampur police with help from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Wadi station in Karnataka, and was produced before a local court August 16.
He was brought to Berhampur Monday night on transit remand.
Police said Patra murdered 31-year-old Gayatri Swain, a married woman, and injuring her 11-year-old daughter at their residence in Sreema Nagar under Nimakhandi police station limits on the night of August 10.
“After committing the murder, the accused locked the door from outside and fled. He was identified with the help of CCTV footage,” said Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.
According to police, Patra was wanted in a 2019 rape case for allegedly raping two of his minor cousin sisters in Balasore.
He then fled to Mumbai and assumed a new identity as Sunil Swain.
He befriended Gayatri on Facebook in 2019. However, their relationship did not work out and a misunderstanding led him to feel “humiliated,” prompting him to allegedly plan the murder.
After a heated argument, he allegedly slit Gayatri’s throat with a sharp weapon and also attacked her minor daughter on August 10. The deceased’s husband was not at home as he works in Bhubaneswar, the SP said.
