ROURKELA: The 33-year-old pregnant woman of Sundargarh, alleged to have been murdered during a late-night loot bid, was actually gunned down by her husband, Rourkela police said on Friday.
Police cracked the disturbing case by arresting victim, Shamyamayee Behera’s husband Deben Behera (35) and his brother-in-law Satya Narayan Behera, also an assistant sub-inspector of police.
Shamyamayee was shot dead around 12.20 am on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday at her in-laws’ house in Jhirdapali village under Tikayatpali police station in Bonai sub-division of Rourkela police district. Police said Deben had concocted the story that armed robbers killed her during a loot attempt.
DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said the husband, a panchayat extension officer (PEO), had an affair with another woman, which prompted him to murder his wife in cold blood and make it appear like an armed burglary.
Discrepancies in statements, timelines, contradictory forensic evidence and concealing of facts led the police to form a special team of additional SP and SDPO rank officers to ascertain the events and veracity of statements of Deben, his family members and neighbours, Rai said.
Earlier, police had detained Deben and three others including his relative who is an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of police, as the key suspects in the case.
Investigation finally concluded that it was a pre-meditated murder and the DIG attributed the motive to Deben’s extra-marital love affair.
According to the victim’s father Pitambar Behera, a native of Chhendipada in Angul district, Shamyamayee was married to Deben on February 7 and during her death, she was seven months pregnant. In the 11 months of marriage, except for 10 initial days, she was not allowed to go to her parental home.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said Deben was looking for an opportunity to execute his horrific plan to eliminate his wife. On Wednesday midnight, when she woke up to go to the washroom, Deben tiptoed opened the entrance door and hid along the staircase. When she came out, the accused suddenly appeared before Shamyamayee and fired at her chest from point-blank range with a country-made single shot firearm. A country made pistol used in the crime and used ammunition case have been recovered and seized.
“From the angle of the bulleting piercing through her chest, the forensic management study concluded the firing was done by some amateur and not professional shooter,” Wadhwani said.
This led police to believe Deben might be behind the crime. The SP said the accused ASI posted at Uditnagar police station of the Rourkela had helped Deben conceal the weapon, erasing crucial evidence and extended post-crime guidance. The duo has been arrested and will be produce before a court on Saturday.
During the crime, Deben’s mother and his aunt were in their sleep and they were jolted out of their slumber by the gunshot and fake scream of Deben.