SAMBALPUR: Sambalpur police on Monday arrested one person on charges of killing a widow eight years back. The man Basanta Panda of Badsinghari village had allegedly murdered Jayashree Mishra, a distant relative of his, in 2011.
According to police reports, Jayashree went missing while she had gone to distribute invitation cards of her elder daughter’s marriage. Her younger daughter Bijayani had lodged a missing complaint in the Town police station on October 13, 2011. But, there had been no headway in the case since.
ALSO READ: Three held for love triangle murder in Odisha
Bijayani had been pursuing the missing of her mother with police for the last eight years and had alleged non-cooperation of Town police even though she feared her murder. The police had sent her back stating that her mother had eloped.
On April 22 this year, she filed an RTI seeking the status of investigation, following which she came to know that the police had done nothing to trace her mother. In the meantime, some unknown people of Badsinghari called her up and informed that her mother was killed by Basanta.
ALSO READ: Puri murder rocks Odisha Assembly as Opposition seeks CM Naveen Patnaik's reply
Subsequently, she filed a petition with the Director General of Police on July 17. On July 21, she again lodged a complaint alleging murder of her mother by Basanta. She also alleged that the accused had buried the body of her mother after killing her. After receiving the complaint, police started investigation into the matter.
During investigation, police came to know that Basanta had borrowed `1.60 lakh from Jayashree but was not returning the money despite her repeated requests. With the intent of getting rid of the woman, he strangulated her on the fateful day in October 2011. After killing her, he buried the body the same day.
However, he exhumed the body the next day and reburied it in another place as the body was not buried properly.
On Monday, police tried to find out the skeletal remains of Jayashree with the help of the accused but failed to trace it. However, Basanta admitted to have committed the crime.
Sambalpur SDPO Bhawani Shankar Udgata said the accused had buried the woman with the help a person. They have already identified him and a manhunt has been launched to nab him.