BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: The Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Gangapur police station died of bullet injuries under mysterious circumstances at his quarters in Ganjam district on Friday. The IIC, identified as 40-year-old Dev Kumar Gamang of Jeypore in Koraput district, was posted at Gangapur around four months back. He was reportedly under mental duress over some personal issues.
Sources said Gamang did not report to work on the day and his mother informed a sub-inspector (SI) of Gangapur police station that he was unwell. She requested the SI to send a doctor to their quarters suspecting that her son could be feeling uneasy due to blood pressure or some other health issues.
A doctor went to the the IIC’s quarters and gave him some medicines. After 12 noon, his mother heard gunshots and found Gamang lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to Aska sub-divisional hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.
Ganjam SP Brijesh Kumar Rai, who rushed to the spot following the incident, said the body has been sent for postmortem. It is too early to say whether the IIC died due to accidental firing from his service gun or committed suicide.
Ruling out the possibility of Gamang being under any kind of job pressure, Rai said, “The IIC was an efficient officer. He sustained bullet injuries on his waist. More details will emerge after the autopsy report arrives.” Sources said police officers usually clean their service guns after unloading them to avoid accidental firings.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and started investigation into the incident. Gamang had joined Odisha Police as a sub-inspector in 2008. He is survived by his mother, wife and two children. His wife is also an inspector-ranked officer and is posted in Nabarangpur district.