Bhubaneswar: The man arrested following a police encounter on Saturday in connection with the alleged rape a 26-year-old woman at gunpoint on the night of September 30, was a petty criminal and had entered the house at Gada Sahi in Bhubaneswar intending to commit a theft.
The accused has been identified as 24-year-old Sreedhar Panda alias Santosh, a resident of Jagannathprasad in Ganjam district. He was staying in a rented house at Chakeisiani in Mancheswar area.
Speaking to the media, Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh said that Panda’s primary motive was theft. “Around 9:45 pm, a young woman residing in Nayapalli area called the PCR to report a rape. Within 13 to 14 hours, we obtained a clear photograph of the suspect, captured when he left the house and another while boarding the Ama bus- but his identity could not be established. He took the bus, then an auto, later stole a bike. However, we were unable to track his movement thereafter. Over the next 48 hours, a massive manhunt was launched involving around 100 personnel divided into multiple teams, who manually circulated his photograph to gather leads,” he said.
He was finally apprehended on Saturday following a brief encounter with police.
The CP further stated that, according to available information, the accused is a habitual thief with a prior record, having been jailed in connection with two mobile phone theft cases at Tamando and Khandagiri police stations in 2023. “Preliminary interrogation suggest that he noticed the door of the victim’s rented room was not fully latched and entered it with the intention of stealing. He decided to commit a sexual assault after realising that the young woman was alone,” he added.
With his face covered by a towel, Panda allegedly threatened the woman with a gun, demanded her laptop and mobile phone, overpowered her when she refused, and sexually assaulted her. He then warned her against disclosing the attack and escaped by scaling a rear boundary wall without taking any items from the house.
Singh clarified that the weapon used to threaten the victim was a lighter designed to look like a handgun.
Following the assault, Panda attempted an elaborate escape route. He reportedly walked to a nearby flyover, took an Ama Bus to Fire Station Square board, before taking an auto-rickshaw to Market Building, where he stole a motorcycle. After buying packed food, he returned to his rented room in Chakeisiani, instructed his landlord not to disclose share his contact details, and subsequently fled to his native village in Ganjam, where his mother lives alone and suffers from a brain tumour. As the sole breadwinner for his family, Panda later took the risk of returning to Bhubaneswar to resume work.
On Saturday, a police team intercepted him on Bharatpur-Chandaka Road on the outskirts of the city around 3.45 pm. During the arrest attempt he allegedly turned violent and lunged at a sub-inspector with a screwdriver in an effort to flee. The officer opened fire in self-defence and one bullet struck the accused in the leg. Panda was overpowered, arrested and taken to Capital Hospital, where his condition was reported to be stable.
Bhubaneswar DCP Saravana Vivek M added that the arrest followed an intensive investigation that involved examining footage from more than 300 CCTV cameras and analysing extensive technical data, which established Panda’s sole involvement. A special squad tracked his movements across the city until he was located and apprehended, he said, adding that
