‘Botched-Up’ Probe In Mamita Murder Case: Heads Start Rolling In Odisha Police

Bhawanipatna: Amid allegations of negligence and botched-up investigation in schoolteacher Mamita Meher murder case, Kalahandi SP Saravana Vivek on Thursday suspended inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Kegaon police station Damu Paraja for dereliction of duty.

“Paraja has been suspended for dereliction of duty in the murder of the lady teacher at Sunshine English Medium School at Mahaling in Kalahandi,” the SP said.

According to sources, Mamita‘s family had approached Kegaon Police in Kalahandi district on October 10 to lodge a complaint about her disappearance, but the IIC refused to accept it.

It is being alleged that local police was reluctant to receive the complaint as the school’s president Govind Sahu, the prime suspect in the case, was an influential person in the locality and a close aide of Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra.

On October 13, Mamita’s family, who belong to Balangir, knocked on the doors of Sindhekela police in the district. Though a complaint was registered, Sindhekela police attempted to hush up the investigation.

Sahu was detained by Kalahandi police on October 14 and later handed him over to Balangir police.

Instead of arresting him, police for some storage reasons kept him at Titlagarh police barrack in Balangir, from where he managed to flee on October 17.

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On October 18, three police personnel of Balangir were suspended for dereliction of duty and Sahu was finally nabbed two days later from a sugarcane field at Budhipadar village under Bangomunda block of Balangir district.

The schoolteacher went missing on October 8 and was last seen travelling in a vehicle with Sahu, who reportedly plotted to kill her after she threatened to expose his extra-marital affair.

Meanwhile, Balangir Police have arrested Sahu’s associate Radheshyam Chandi alias Radhe. Two others, Pushkar Bhoi and Munsi Gupteswar Tandi, have turned witnesses in the case, informed police.

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Bhoi and Tandi were detained in connection with the incident. While Bhoi had dug the pit at Mahaling stadium with the help of a JCB, Tandi is a staff of the school.

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Earlier in the day, DIG (North) Deepak Kumar to the stadium, where the remains of Mamita were recovered, for spot verification. The recreation of the crime scene with Sahu, who police claim has confessed to having killed Mamita, is likely to be carried out on Friday. He is currently in police custody.