While the investigating agency had picked up Punjilal Meher, English lecturer of Jyoti Bikash Mahavidyalaya at Bhainsa, from his house at Meherpada and Umesh Matari, Siba Prasad Sa, Odia lecturer of National College at Nuapada and Rajkumar Das, a pharmacist and compounder of Bhainsa Primary Health Centre (PHC) from Bhainsa village in the morning on Sunday and Dilip Das, owner of Skyking Courier Service at Patnagarh and courier boy Susant Seth in the night, another courier boy of the Skyking, Baibhasuta Bindhani was picked up on Monday morning for interrogation. Sources said that while the Crime Branch has released Rajkumar Das after the interrogation, the four others picked up yesterday were taken to several locations on Monday. Besides, the Crime Branch also took Punjilal Meher to the Jyoti Bikash Mahavidyalaya with a sniffer dog. In course of investigation, the sniffer dog took the Crime Branch police to the Punjilal’s house at Meherpada.
It may be mentioned that Sanjukta Sahu, mother of Soumya Sekhar Sahu who died in the blast, had told the media on Sunday that prior to her appointment as the principal of of Jyoti Bikash Mahavidyalaya, Punjilal was the acting principal. But after she was appointed as a full-time principal of the college, he became intolerant to her and tried to harass her several times. She had further said that Punjilal had even gone to the extent to malign her by writing obscene remarks against her on the college boundary walls with the help of his associates.
Considering the circumstantial evidence and the statement of Sanjukta Sahu, the Crime Branch police suspects Punjilal’s involvement in the case, the sources added.
The shocking incident had taken place on February 23 at the house of Rabindra Sahu when his son Soumya Sekhar Sahu, his daughter-in-law Rimarani Sahu and grandmother Jemamani sustained grievous injuries while opening a parcel which suddenly went off. While Soumya Sekhar and his grandmother were killed, Rimarani sustained severe burn injuries.
A month after the incident, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered a Crime Branch probe into the incident on March 23.