Dhenkanal: Four persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a college student in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.
The main accused has been identified as Gangadhar Patra of Santrapur village under Kamakhyanagar police limits. The three co-accused are Madanmohan Patra also of Santarapur village and Chandan Kumar Naik of San Indipur village under Kamakhyanagar police limits and Rasanand Naik of Kumusi village under Parjang police limits. A car used in the crime, three mobile phones, a blood soaked dupatta and college bag of the victim were seized from them.
“The investigation revealed the involvement of prime accused Gangadhar Patra and three of his associates. We have seized the vehicle used for carrying the girl’s body to the forest,” Dhenkanal SP Abhinav Sonkar told a presser on Sunday.
Among the co-accused are a cousin and uncle of Patra, he added.
The accused have reportedly confessed to the crime. They were earlier taken to the spot for crime scene recreation.
The blood-soaked body of a 16-year-old college girl was recovered from Saruali forest, around 8 km from Kamakhyanagar town, on March 19 morning. The deceased girl, a resident of Marthapur under Bhuban police limits, was a Plus II Arts student of Kamakhyanagar college.
According to sources, Patra worked as a driver of a bus in which the victim used to commute to her college daily. They were reportedly in a relationship. He allegedly lured the girl to a forest after picking her up from Jagannath Bazaar on March 18 and raped her. As her condition became serious, he took her to Kamakhyanagar town to get help. As the victim’s health worsened and she died, he along with his associates dumped her body in the forest.
