Bhubaneswar: Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Kumar Bansal on Tuesday ordered a Crime Branch probe into the suicide of Gobinda Sahu, the prime accused in the Mamita Meher murder case, inside Kantabanji jail in Balangir district.
According to sources, a team of CID-CB led by DSP Bijay Mallick and three other officers has left for Kantbanji to take over the investigation. The team also has forensic and cyber experts and officers of the photo bureau of the state police.
This came amid opposition BJP and Congress’ demand for a CBI probe into his death, alleging that it was a major conspiracy to protect high-profile leaders in the case.
Notably, Sahu was found hanging inside the jail premises before his production in a local court this morning. Jail authorities rushed him to Kantabanji sub-divisional hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Earlier, Sambalpur Prisons range DIG Anasaya Jena was asked to find out the circumstances leading to Sahu’s suicide.
Mamita, a resident of Jharni village in Balangir’s Turekela block, was working as a teacher at Sunshine English Medium School at Mahaling in Kalahandi district. The 24-year-old teacher went missing on October 8, 2021. Alleging involvement of the school’s managing committee president Sahu in her disappearance, Mamita’s family members lodged a complaint with the police. On October 19, charred remains of Mamita’s body were exhumed from the construction site of a stadium near the school.
Sahu was then arrested for abducting and murdering Mamita with help of his driver Radheshyam Chandi.
On October 8, Sahu reportedly received Mamita at Chandotara. He then drove her in his car to Bhawanipatna for shopping. Later, both went to the Manikeswari temple and on the way back, he strangulated her to death on the back seat of the car.
The murder had triggered massive political controversy with the Opposition political parties alleging that Sahu was a close associate of former Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra and accused him of shielding Sahu.
Earlier this month, principal of Mahaling College Ranjit Sahu and a management committee member Kruti Chandan were arrested on the charges of influencing witnesses in the murder case.
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