Odisha: DFO Has No Link With ACF’s Wife Bidyabharati, Says Gajapati SP

Bhubaneswar: Even as the death of Paralakhemundi Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra is still shrouded in mystery and several angles are being probe, the Gajapati SP on Friday gave clean chit DFO Sangram Keshari Behera.

Behera was one of the three accused named in the alleged murder of Soumya. The two others are Soumya’s wife Bidyabharati Panda and his cook.

After a marathon interrogation of the DFO, Gajapati SP Tapan Patnaik said the DFO has no links with the ACF’s death or his wife. “No evidence was found against the DFO after an analysis of his Call Details Record (CDR). He has no link with the ACF’s cook Manmath Kumbh either,” said the SP.

Clarifying on the halting of the ambulance that carried a severely burnt Soumya Ranjan to hospital, the SP Tapan Patnaik said, “The ambulance had stopped for 15 minutes at the forest gate, because Bidyabharati had not carried cash nor any other belongings with her while accompanying her husband in the ambulance. Therefore, she stopped there and took cash other thing from the lady cop’s house.”

Soumya’s father had accused him of plotting to murder his son with Bidyabharati. His mother had told the media that her daughter-in-law left the house following a heated exchange of words with the ACF, who later found her at the official quarters of the DFO.