Bhubaneswar: A non-bailable warrant (NBW) has reportedly been issued against former Sarankul police station IIC Sujit Kumar Das, who has reportedly been absconding after being booked in a rape case.
Armed with the NBW, multiple teams of the Odisha Crime Branch have intensified the operation to trace the suspended police officer and apprehend him.
Officials of the Crime Against Woman (CAW) cell of the Crime Branch are conducting raids at multiple locations to arrest Das after the Odisha High Court rejected his anticipatory bail and directed him to surrender before the lower court.
Das was earlier suspended following allegation of sexual assault by a woman. The case, initially registered at Sarankul Police Station in Nayagad district, was later transferred to the Crime Branch CAW for thorough investigation.
A team from the Crime Branch has also been conducting a raid at Das’s residence in Bhubaneswar since Wednesday morning. The searches were part of the ongoing efforts to locate and arrest him in connection with the rape allegation.
Earlier, the High Court withdrew the interim protection it had granted to Das after hearing the matter on August 20. Further investigation in the case is underway.
Notably, Das was transferred and then suspended after a woman alleged that she had approached Sarankul police seeking protection and justice after facing harassment and assault by some villagers. In a written complaint submitted to the SP, she accused the IIC of taking advantage of her vulnerable situation by assuring her of assistance and legal support.
The woman claimed that Das repeatedly contacted her, including through late-night video calls, and later took her to various locations, including a hotel in Nayagarh town, where he reportedly raped her. She further alleged that the officer persuaded her to remain silent by promising police support and permanent rehabilitation in her village.