Baripada: In a major development in medical student Chandrika Hembram death case, a four-member team from the Baranga police station is at her native place Udala in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district to question the family members as part of the probe.
The team, which includes the Investigating Officer, reached the family’s residence in Raidandia village on Sunday to record detailed statements from Chandrika’s father, mother, brother, and cousin.
Police sources said the questioning began on Sunday afternoon and continued late into the night. The exercise continued on Monday as part of efforts to gather further details regarding the circumstances that led to Chandrika’s death.
The police team focused their inquiries on the personal relationships of the deceased, specifically probing how the family came to know about her relationship, when the rifts erupted between them, and the timeline of events before the tragedy.
This apart, the police are also reportedly seeking specific details regarding Chandrika’s boyfriend, Bhimsen Tudu, and an unidentified woman associated with him.
The developments
follow the arrest of Bhimsen Tudu from Mayurbhanj by the Commissionerate Police on June 12. The arrest was executed after Chandrika’s family formally alleged that Tudu was responsible for her death, labelling the incident as a pre-planned murder.
It may be noted that Chandrika’s body was recovered on June 4 from beneath the Netaji Bridge, known as Trisulia overbridge at Baranga in Cuttack district. The recovery of the MBBS student’s body prompted an intensive investigation by the Commissionerate Police.
According to the post-mortem report, the cause of death was established as suffocation resulting from drowning in water. Medical examiners noted that no physical injury marks were present on her body.
The probe took a significant turn four days after the incident when Chandrika’s mother, Hiramani Hansda, claimed that her daughter was subjected to severe mental torture and was murdered in a planned manner. She further alleged that Tudu’s behaviour had a negative impact on Chandrika’s mental state and caused dipression.
According to Hansda, Chandrika felt that Tudu considered her dark-skinned, which prompted her to attempt to alter her physical appearance to secure his affection. The mother alleged that Chandrika was receiving skin-whitening injections from a private clinic in Bhubaneswar in an effort to lighten her complexion and gain his approval.
On June 13, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rishikesh Khilari said that preliminary investigations indicated Chandrika’s death occurred because of her boyfriend Bhimsen Tudu, an OAS officer.
As part of the probe, the police seized Tudu’s laptop and tablet. The investigators also retrieved digital communication logs from WhatsApp, which also underwent detailed examination.