Paradip: In a major breakthrough in the sensational death of a Plus III student in Odisha’s Paradip, police have arrested two persons, including the victim’s male friend and a tenant.
The two were arrested after police a thorough investigation into the mysterious incident examining multiple angles. Based on CCTV footage, witness statements and scientific evidence, police arrested the victim’s male friend, Somanath Ojha, and a tenant, Shubham Singh, stated to be from another state. The two have been charged with abduction, rape and murder.
Sources said the investigators recreated a crime scene after the victim’s male friend and the tenant underwent medical examination on Thursday.
The victim, who hailed from from Kolar village under Tirtol police limits in Jagatsinghpur district, had gone to Sarala Temple with male friend Somanath on the fateful day. Later, she decided not to go with him and got off the vehicle. She was reportedly standing alone on Cuttack-Paradip road, where Shubham, approached her and allegedly offered her a lift. The police suspect that the non-Odia youth might have taken her to his rented accommodation in the same building, near which the body was recovered.
Police suspect the victim knew Shubham, who allegedly offered her a lift. Both Shubham and Somnath work at an industrial establishment in Paradip, suggesting a possible connection between them. The victim’s decision to accept a lift from Shubham has raised many questions. The victim was reportedly sexually assaulted by Subham and later pushed from a rooftop in an attempt to give it a suicide angle. Police later seized the woman’s clothes hanging from the gas pipe of the house, along with the CCTV hard disk from the crime spot.
