Bhubaneswar: The worst fear of the family of the missing woman traffic constable, Subhamitra Sahoo (25), came true as the police arrested the person, whom they had suspected behind her sudden disappearance on September 6, on Wednesday for her murder.
After crime scene reconstruction with accused Deepak Raut (39), her cement-wrapped body was exhumed using a JCB in the presence of a magistrate from a forested area near Ghatagaon in Keonjhar district. Deepak had admitted to strangling Shubhamitra between 2-3 pm near Raj Bhawan Square in Bhubaneswar on September 6 and then drove with her body to Keonjhar, where he buried it in a forested patch with the help of an accomplice.
Briefing the media, Commissionerate of Police (CP) S.Dev Datta Singh said that Subhamitra and Deepak had a court marriage in July 2024. “Deepak is also a constable. He is a prime suspect in the case, which initially appeared a little complicated,” he said.
Elaborating further, he mentioned a chat message of Subhamitra where she expressed feeling frustrated and wanting to retreat or hide somewhere. “Prior to this, they had travelled to Mathura and Varanasi. So, we suspected that she might have moved to a mutt. She neither carried her phone nor any ID proofs. Police teams visited mutts in Mathura, Varanasi and Puri to locate her. Background check of Deepak was done simultaneously. His movement and his call detail records were analysed. Alongside, CCTV footage of all nearby spots from where she went missing were analysed for over 7-8 days,” he said.
The CP said that after evaluating all evidence, police concluded that Deepak might have murdered Subhamitra. “He had taken Rs 10 lakh from her and the chat messages indicate that he might have returned the amount to her. We are investigating whether Subhamitra kept this money. She had also asked Deepak for money to organise a social ceremony to formally announce their marriage. Her insistence that he foots the bill for a grand wedding led to frequent quarrels,” he said.
Subhamitra had reportedly demanded Rs 20 lakh for the wedding.
Singh said that evidence strongly indicated that Deepak might have murdered her following disputes over financial matters. “A polygraph test was also conducted on Deepak, who was interrogated multiple times since September 8. While the murder was committed by him, we suspect involvement of others in transporting the body to Keonjhar,” he informed.
The vehicle used in the crime has been seized.
The CP added that further investigation is underway to ascertain whether he plotted the murder to claim Rs 1 crore insurance payout. ““We discovered that Subhamitra was insured for Rs 1 crore. Although Deepak would be aware that deaths due to homicide are not covered under a term life insurance plan, we are still investigating whether he had any intentions to claim the money after her death,” Singh said.
The accused had reportedly taken the policy soon after their marriage.
Sources said that this was Deepak’s second marriage. His first wife, who served as a revenue inspector (RI), died after being hit by a truck while crossing the road near Athagarh in Cuttack in 2022, for which he received a Rs 1 crore insurance payout. He is suspected to have hatched a similar plan after marrying Subhamitra.
The suspicion has prompted police to re-examine the circumstances leading to the death of Rout’s first wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time of the accident.
The woman constable went missing on September 6 from Surya Nagar. She reported for duty at 10 am but did not return home after her shift ended at 7 pm. Her mother, Sukanti, lodged a missing complaint at Capital police station the following day.
