PARALAKHEMUNDI: FIVE days after she was found dead, Gajapati police on Thursday claimed to have solved the murder case of sarpanch candidate, Mini Dalabehera (31), by arresting the main accused, Sudhir Gomang. Apparently, the two were in a relationship but police did not ascertain the reason behind the killing.
Earlier, police had interrogated seven persons, including Mini’s husband Bajendra Dalabehera and Sudhir.
Mini, who had been missing since January 13, was found dead in Jirang under Mohana block of Gajapati district two days later. A resident of Baghamari village, she had filed nomination for Sarpanch post of Baghamari panchayat on January 11.
She had come to Chandragiri along with her father Paul Dalabehera and mother Nalini Dalabehera on Friday. While her parents returned to their village, she had stayed back for some work. Later in the day, she visited a bank at Chandragiri and met the bank manager over withdrawal of money for election expenditure. Although she was supposed to return to Baghamari the same day, she did not. Bajendra and Mini’s parents tried to contact her, but could not reach her. They lodged a missing complaint in the local police station.
On Sunday, some villagers found her burnt body in a forest behind a temple in Jirang. Police said while interrogation, Sudhir, a resident of Ramchandrapur village under R Udayagiri police limits, confessed to the crime. A quack by profession, he was staying in Mahendragarh on rent.
On January 12, he had spoken to Mini for 30 minutes over telephone. A day later, he called her up while she was in the bank and asked her to come to an isolated location at Jirang.
Upon reaching there, Mini was attacked with an iron rod by Sudhir killing her on the spot. Before pouring kerosene and setting her body on fire, the accused removed her gold ornaments, mobile phone and purse. After burning the body, he returned from Jirang to Chandragiri and threw the purse inside the bank to divert the attention of the police.
Sudhir also removed the SIM card from Mini’s mobile phone and damaged it. Later in the night, he reached his house at Mahendragarh and buried Mini’s ‘mangalsutra’, mobile phone and earrings in his house. During the course of investigation, police came to know about Sudhir and Mini’s relationship and detained the former. The gold ornaments, damaged SIM card and mobile phone of Mini have been seized.
Members of Adivasi Surakhya Sangh have demanded a CBI inquiry into the death suspecting involvement of more persons in the murder.