Odisha ACF’s Death: Police Probe Mystery Of Wife’s Male Friend

Balangir: Who was the male friend that visited Bidyabharati Panda, wife of deceased Forest official Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, while she was staying at the Livestock Inspectors’ Training Centre in Balangir? What had happened on April 11 when Bidyabharati hosted a bachelor’s party on the Centre’s premises?

Palarakhemundi police investigating the death of the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) will be focusing on these aspects of the case.

In this regard, IIC of Palarakhemundi Town police station Bibekanand Swain led a five-member team to Balangir on Sunday.

The team will question the Centre’s Deputy Director, Hemant Pradhan, about the bachelor’s party and Bidyabharati’s stay at a hostel on the premises.

Sources said Bidyabharati was a trainee at the Livestock Inspectors’ Training Centre. She had come to the Centre on April 3 ahead of an exam on April 5. She had been staying room no. 1 of the women’s hostel till April 12.

During her stay, she had sponsored the bachelor’s party on April 11.

The sources revealed that a male friend of Bidyabharati used to regularly visit the Centre to meet her. Besides, the car that dropped her at the Centre belonged to Paralakhemundi DFO Sangram Keshari Behera, they added.

This has led credence to the complaint by Soumya Ranjan’s family that the DFO was in a relationship with Bidyabharati, a police officer said, requesting anonymity. “Police have taken up the matter seriously,” he added.

The officer said police will also try to ascertain the identity of Bidyabharati’s male friend amd also get details of the car in which she had come to Balangir.

Also Read: Odisha ACF’s Death: Know The Balangir Link Of Bidyabharati