Bhubaneswar: In a significant breakthrough, the Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday arrested the prime accused in the Balianta mob lynching case that led to the death of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain earlier this month.
The arrested has been identified as Ranjit Patra (24) alias Chinu, a resident of Gangeswargada under Sadar police limits in Cuttack.
According to Crime Branch officials, Patra was taken into custody based on substantial evidence gathered during the ongoing investigation. He allegedly assaulted the constable on the head and a vital part of the body with a bamboo stick after the victim’s hands and legs were tied with ropes by the mob.
Postmortem reports cited by the Crime Branch indicated death due to blunt force trauma; some reports also mentioned steroid consumption which possible made his aggressive.
This marks the second arrest by the Crime Branch in the case. Earlier, on May 11, another accused identified as Judhisthira Jena (22) alias Bunty was apprehended and forwarded to court. With Patra’s arrest, the total number of people detained in connection with the incident now stands at 13. Of these, 11 were initially arrested by local police before the Crime Branch took over the probe.
Incident Recap
The tragic event took place on May 7 around 11:30 am in Balianta area, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar when Swain and his associate Om Prakash Rout, riding a motorcycle, allegedly hit two women traveling on a scooter from behind. This led to a confrontation in which Swain was accused of assaulting the women and attempting to rape one of them, sparking outrage among locals and passersby who gathered at the spot.
The crowd allegedly overpowered and severely thrashed Swain. He later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. Videos of the assault circulated widely on social media drew widespread condemnation while highlighting concerns over mob justice.
Swain, a 32-year-old GRP constable posted in Cuttack, had reportedly been absent from duty since late April and had a pending criminal case, according to railway police sources.