Paralakhemundi: Paralakhemundi police personnel Friday interrogated accused Gajapati DFO Sangram Keshari Behera in connection with alleged murder of assistant conservator of forests (ACF) Soumyaranjan Mohapatra.
Sources said, the investigating officer of the case and other officials of the Paralakhemundi police station along with a three-member team of the Crime Branch started Behera’s interrogation at the latter’s office in this town around 11.00am amid tight security. At the time of filing this report, the questioning is still on.
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Behera was brought under the ambit of the probe after Soumya’s father Abhiram Mohapatra said that the DFO was involved in his son’s death. Abhiram had also lodged an FIR in this regard. He had also alleged that Soumya’s wife Bidyabharati was having an ‘affair’ with the DFO.
“A police team has interrogated the ACF’s family members in their house at Begunia village in Balasore district and the deceased’s wife Bidyabharati and her family at Gudagan village in Mayurbhanj district. After cross-checking the statements of the two families, police is interrogating Behera,” Gajapati SP Tapan Kumar Patnaik said.
Notably, Soumya suffered serious burn injuries at his official residence here on the night of July 12 in the presence of his wife. He had suffered 90 per cent burn injuries and succumbed July 13 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Cuttack.
Paralakhemundi police have registered a murder case against three persons namely Soumya’s wife Bidyabharati, Behera and a cook who was present at the deceased ACF’s residence.
PNN