BHUBANESWAR: A 35-year-old rape accused out on bail allegedly shot himself late on Saturday night to implicate the victim’s family members in a false police case.
The accused Dipti Ranjan Mohapatra of Balipatna was arrested on Sunday. His two associates Amaresh Pradhan (36) of Nayapalli and Tofan Bisoi (33) of Bharatpur have also been nabbed for helping him.
Police said Dipti shot himself on his hand and then went to the hospital for treatment. He later lodged a complaint alleging he was on way to watch Ram Leela in the village when the woman’s husband and cousin brother intercepted him and opened fire at him. He sustained gun shot injury on his left hand.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said the truth came to light when police closely examined the bullet injury. “We noticed a blackening mark on his hand which normally occurs when fired from close range. Dipti was interrogated following which he confessed to having shot himself. He revealed he had procured a 9 mm pistol from Amarendra which was supplied by Tofan,” the DCP said.
Police seized the weapon of offence, four rounds of live ammunition and an empty cartridge from the accused. A separate case was registered against the trio. As per preliminary probe, both Amaresh and Tofan were present when Dipti shot himself.
Further investigation revealed Dipti was arrested by Mahila police in June last year for allegedly raping the woman. He had also allegedly made her obscene photographs and videos viral on social media. The victim’s father had got her married with a native of Khurda district when Dipti was lodged in Special Jail here.
However, after being released on bail, Dipti, who had been nursing a grudge against the victim and his family for his arrest, planned to implicate them in a false case. He even claimed before the villagers that the woman’s father was trying to defame him. Dipti is a property dealer, said a police officer.