Patrapur school teacher arrested for killing pregnant paramour

BERHAMPUR: Baidyanathpur police has arrested a school teacher on charges of killing his paramour. The accused was identified as 55-year-old Prafulla Kumar Pradhan. City SDPO Pravat Kumar Routray said Pradhan, a teacher in a school in Patrapur, confessed to have committed his partner’s murder after she refused to terminate her pregnancy.

Despite being married, Pradhan developed a relationship with the victim Subhadra and used to stay with her in a rented house in Berhampur since 2009. Subhadra had a daughter with Pradhan. When the victim conceived for the second time, Pradhan insisted on termination of her pregnancy. When Subhadra refused, the duo had a heated exchange on August 5 and in a fit of rage, Pradhan strangulated the woman to death. In a bid to suppress his crime, the accused then took Subhadra’s body to Patrapur for cremation. However, locals informed the police suspecting foul play.

On being questioned, Prafulla failed to give any satisfactory answer and claimed Subhadra died due to pregnancy-related complications. However, police detained him, seized the body and sent it for autopsy.
The autopsy report came out on Thursday which revealed that Subhadra’s death was due to strangulation. It further stated that due to strangulation, the eight-month-old male foetus also died. On coming to know about the report, Pradhan also broke down and confessed his crime, said the SDPO. The accused was produced in the court on Thursday and remanded in judicial custody.