Paralakhemundi: Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Keshari Behera denied being in a relationship with Bidyabharati Panda, wife of Paralakhemundi ACF Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, informed investigating officer Vivekananda Swain.
The DFO, who is named in the FIR lodged by Soumya’s family, was grilled for over 3 hours in connection with the mysterious death of the ACF.
Paralakhemundi SDPO Ramakrushna Pati said Behera fully cooperated during the interrogation. “He responded to all the allegations levelled against him. We have recorded his statement. All aspects of the case are being investigated,” he added.
Swain said that his call records are being verified and police had also checked the log book for more inputs in the case.
The DFO was brought to his office at Paralakhemundi around 11 am amid tight police security. A three-member Crime Branch team, led by DSP Bijay Kumar Mallik, was also present.
Notably, the ACF’s father Abhiram Mohapatra had accused DFO and Bidyabharati of plotting the murder of his son, who succumbed to injuries on July 13 at a private hospital in Cuttack after being rescued from his official quarters with third-degree burns.
Earlier in the day, the ACF’s family lawyer Parthasarathi Nayak had revealed about a handwritten note purportedly written him, indicating the desperate situation he was in. Soumya was ready to sacrifice everything, including his job, for his wife, he said and added that police had seized a silver anklet, which was bought on July 9, besides two diaries from his official residence.
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“He feared that Bidyabarati would slap a domestic violence case against him and was ready to concede to all her demands,” the lawyer said.
Unable to deal with the situation, Soumya could have also attempted suicide, he added.
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