Naba Das Murder: Hard To Believe He Pulled The Trigger, Says Accused Gopal Das’ Wife

Berhampur: A day after Odisha Crime Branch (CB) team searched the residence of dismissed ASI Gopal Das in Berhampur, his wife Jayanti on Monday said that she was still finding it hard to believe that her husband pulled the trigger on Health Minister Naba Das.

“The investigation is on and we are cooperating. The truth should come to the fore,” she said while refusing to comment on the different conspiracy angles doing the rounds.

Jayanti said that she last spoke to Gopal on January 28 and was worried about his health. On January 29, Gopal had taken his daughter on video call around 12 noon but discontinued it to attend to another call. The firing took place around 12.15 pm.

Speaking to the media about the CB probe, she said that the officials checked her bank account. “There were only some savings which I had done from the Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000, which he used to send home every month. They also obtained Gopal’s account statement from the State Bank of India branch at MKCG Medical College and Hospital,” she said.

She spoke about the loans that Gopal had taken to construct the house 13 years ago. “A few years ago, he took another loan for constructing two rooms on the first floor and we are still repaying it. I am not aware of the loan amount,” she said.

Jayanti said that her husband had bought a second-hand car. “I got to know from the media that he had made an initial payment of Rs 50,000 and another Rs 50,000 was pending,” she said.

The four-member team led by DSP Sisir Mishra has grilled Gopal’s wife and relatives at least seven times in the last few days.

Gopal, on the other hand, has reportedly expressed fear for his life and has sought his shifting from Jharsuguda sub-jail to another prison once his Crime Branch (CB) remand ends on Wednesday. Having spent 12 years in Jharsuguda, he feared retaliatory attack from supporters of Naba Das or others arrested by him in the past and lodged in the same jail.

Meanwhile, a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team from New Delhi layered voice analysis test and forensic psychological assessment of Gopal in Jharsuguda. A special medical board consisting of psychiatrists is also conducting a detailed analysis of his mental health.

Some treatment prescriptions for Gopal dating back to 2013 have also been found. The CB, however, has neither been able to ascertain whether he is suffering from a mental health condition as claimed by him nor the motive behind the murder.