BHUBANESWAR: The 45-year-old widow, who was allegedly gangraped and brutally murdered in Kankadahada block of Dhenkanal, paid the price for backing her niece, who was accused of adultery by her husband. She was gored and killed by two men, one of whom happened to be her niece’s husband, Hari Patra.
Dhenkanal police, on Wednesday, arrested Hari along with Raghu Lohar, who is co-accused in the gangrape and murder. Two others, Ananda Patra and Sadashib Lohar, who stood guard outside the victim’s house, have also been arrested, Dhenkanal SP Basant Panigrahy said. All the accused are in their mid-20s and live in the same village, Balikuma.
About 60 km from Dhenkanal town, Balikuma comes under Kamakhyanagar tehsil. It is primarily a tribal village located inside the forests, where Maoists once held sway.
Three days before the gory incident, Hari had a tiff with his wife accusing her of having an affair with another youth, who was the brother-in-law of the victim’s elder son. The prime accused took the matter to the village heads and a kangaroo court directed Hari to abandon his wife. Since the 45-year-old widow stood by her niece, Hari was infuriated.
On Monday night, Hari and Raghu went to the victim’s house to exact revenge and gangraped her while her second son was around. Afraid that she might point fingers at them later, they assaulted her with an iron rod and cooking utensils, which were inserted into her private parts. She was left bleeding profusely. It was her son, who raised an alarm and she was rushed to the nearby Primary Health Care Centre. But she succumbed on the way.
While the brutality of the incident sent shockwaves, police investigation was aided by the statement of the victim’s son. A mobile phone, which was found from the crime scene, confused the cops as it belonged to a fifth person, Sanjay Patra, a native of Balikuma.
Panigrahy said Sanjay lives in Dhenkanal and was on a visit to his village for ‘’Raja.’’ He was invited by Hari and Raghu for a feast on the intervening night of June 12 and 13. While Sanjay was asleep, Hari had taken his mobile phone, which was left behind at scene of the crime. During interrogation and confrontation, Sanjay’s role was eliminated.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that the kangaroo court’s decision and the widow’s support to her niece may have led to the incident,” Panigrahi said.
While gangrape is strongly suspected, police are waiting for the post-mortem report to ascertain the details. A case has been registered basing on the deceased’s elder son’s complaint. The victim was widowed three years back and her elder son was staying separately.