Odisha: Murder charge against DFO, two others in ACF’s death

BERHAMPUR: Paralakhemundi police have registered a murder case against three persons, including the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Gajapati, S K Behera, in connection with the mysterious death of assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra.
“A case was also registered against the deceased’s wife Bidya Bharati Panda and the cook,” said inspector in-charge, Paralakhemundi police station, Bibekanand Swain. The case was registered following an online complaint lodged by the deceased’s father Abhiram Mohapatra on Wednesday.
On Sunday night, the 32-year-old Mohapatra sustained serious burn injuries while his wife was at home. He was admitted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur with 90% burns. Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police said they have recorded the dying statement of the forest officer in presence of the magistrate, where he said his wife was in another room when the incident happened. “We will investigate based on the dying declaration of the deceased, the autopsy report and the complaint of the deceased’s father,” said Swain. The wife of the deceased and DFO Gajapati have refused the allegation.