Bhubaneswar: A relative of woman traffic constable Subhamitra Sahoo, who was found murdered on September 17 almost 10 days after she went missing from Bhubaneswar, died after a train hit her at Patia railway station here on Thursday.
The deceased have been identified as Annapurna Patnaik (52).
According to sources, the accident took place while Annapurna and her husband Prafulla (55) were reportedly returning from Puri after taking part in Subhamitra’s funeral. They were struck by a fast-moving passenger train while crossing the track at around 7.30 pm. While Annapurna died on the spot, her husband was critically injured and rushed to Capital Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, the murder of the 25-year-old constable has been designated as a Red Flag case and the probe will now be conducted under the direct supervision of the Crime Branch (CB) DGP.
Sahoo, who went missing after leaving home for duty on September 6, was found buried in a jungle in Keonjhar district, around 170 km away from Bhubaneswar, on September 17. She was allegedly strangled to death by her husband Deepak Rout (39), a constable posted at the office of Bhubaneswar police commissioner, over alleged financial disputes.
While Deepak has been placed under suspension, a relative and an associate of his have been arrested for assisting him to dispose of the victim’s body.
