BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police on Thursday arrested Sangram Aich, husband of P Tanuja Patra, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in an SUV under Lingaraj police limits on October 1.
Aich was nabbed from Kolkata where he fled following Tanuja’s death. Police said the couple did not share a cordial relationship owing to Sangram’s friendship with another woman in the city. The relationship was further strained after a case of rape was registered against Sangram by Mahila police in June last year. The accused, who ran a girls’ hostel here, was accused of rape by a tenant. However, he managed to evade arrest in connection with the case.
Police said Tanuja, a native of Dhenkanal, had married Sangram in 2009 and was staying with her child in Samantarapur area of the city. She used to oppose Sangram’s visit to her house and had warned him repeatedly that she would inform the police about his whereabouts.
On the night of September 30, Sangram went to Tanuja’s house and assaulted her. He also tried to choke her to death. After the victim became unconscious, he took her to a hospital in Cuttack via Patia in the SUV in which his child and female friend were also present. A doctor declared Tanuja dead outside the hospital following which the accused’s female friend suggested him to dispose of the body in Puri.
However, after dropping her at a hostel in Mahaveer Nagar, the SUV was hit by a truck following which Sangram placed the body near the driver’s seat and abandoned the vehicle. He then called his female friend and handed her Tanuja’s mobile phone. Then he along with his child fled to Kolkata.
Police said a CCTV footage showed the accident between Sangram’s SUV and the truck. The footage also showed him talking to his female friend after the mishap. Twin City Commissioner of Police Satyajit Mohanty said, “Sangram had physically assaulted his wife and choked her mouth and nose following which she succumbed.” The post-mortem report revealed that Tanuja died due to cerebrovascular injury and asphyxia. “While Aich was arrested for killing his wife, the woman was arrested for helping him in destroying the evidence,” Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Sahu said. The accused’s female friend, a native of Dhenkanal, is 21-year-old and was working with a private firm in the Capital.