CUTTACK: Two days after he had escaped from police custody and jumped into Mahanadi river to dodge the chasing cops, Sankarsana Behera alias Bablu, was found dead reportedly due to drowning on Saturday. His body was found floating in the river at Jobra barrage in the morning. Bablu’s family identified his body after it was recovered from the river.
Bablu was allegedly detained and questioned at Cantonment police station in connection with a mobile theft case on Thursday when he made the escape bid. The 32-year-old had pushed a senior sentry and fled the police station.
Even as the other police personnel chased Bablu, they were unable to nab him as he jumped into Mahanadi river. He was seen wading through the river water at a distance before going missing. He was presumed to have swam to the other side of the river and gone into hiding. While a search was launched, he was not traced till Saturday morning.
DCP Pinak Mishra said the suspect who had escaped from police custody drowned in Mahanadi river. “Investigation will be conducted as per guidelines of National Human Rights Commission by an additional DCP rank officer. As the youth escaped from police station and later drowned we are treating it as custodial death. The CCTV footage will be examined to ascertain the circumstances under which the suspect escaped from police custody and necessary action will be initiated accordingly,” said Mishra.
Bablu’s family alleged the police had picked him up three days back though he was not involved in the mobile theft case. Unable to bear the torture, he fled from Cantonment police station and lost his life in the river, they alleged.
After postmortem, Bablu’s body was handed over to his family members. Bablu, who used to work in a fast food stall as a daily wage labourer had criminal antecedents. Several petty theft cases were allegedly pending against him in Bidanasi and Cantonment police stations.
Suspecting Bablu to be involved in a mobile theft case, Cantonment police had picked him up from his residence in Bidanasi Transit House locality on Wednesday morning. He was detained and interrogated in connection with the case when he escaped and went missing in the river.