Odisha Crime Branch To Assist Police In ACF’s Death Probe

Bhubaneswar/Paralakhemundi: The Odisha Crime Branch will assist the police in the probe into the death of Paralakhemundi Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra.

Talking to a news channel on Tuesday, Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda said the Crime Branch has not taken up the case and will only assist the police in the investigation.

Meanwhile, a four-member team of the Crime Branch led by the DSP Bijay Kumar Mallick reached Paralakhemundi this afternoon and discussed the status of the case with Gajapati SP Tapan Kumar Patnaik.

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Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Crime Branch DSP said Paralakhemundi Town police station IIC Bibekanand Swain, who is the Investigating Officer, has gone to interrogate the wife of the deceased ACF and her family members in Gaudagan village under Kaptipada block in Mayurbhanj district and the team will wait for him to return.

“We will collect the details of the interrogation and assist him in the probe,” the DSP added.

According to police sources, the ACF’s wife Bidyabharti and her parents were questioned for over 5 hours. Bidyabharti’s father told the media that police took some documents along with them.

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With the local police yet to make a breakthrough in the case even after a week, the father of the deceased ACF Abhiram Mohapatra had demanded a Crime Branch probe into his death.

The ACF had succumbed to severe burn injuries in a private hospital in Cuttack on July 13.