Year ender 2021: 10 incidents that sent shockwaves in Odisha

As few days remaining for 2021 to get over and we step into New Year 2022, one can find the year gone by to be an eventful year. Some events brought cheers among many while others shook the conscience of the society.

Be it murder of a private school woman teacher Mamita Meher in Mahaling of Kalahandi district, killing of a married woman in Bhimtangi area or kidnapping and murder of Rama Devi Women’s University student Jharaphula Nayak, the list of ‘The Hate Stories’ is quite long. However, the 10 most shocking incidents were compiled by sambadenglish.com, which hit headlines in Odisha as well as in the national media.

• Mahanga double murder: This case which was reported in the first week of January. But, this one continued to create political storm in Odisha throughout year. On January 2, some miscreants killed BJP leader of Mahanga in Cuttack district and former block Chairman Kulamani Baral and his associate Dibyasingha Baral.

As Opposition members targeted Law Minister Pratap Jena for his alleged involvement in the double murder case following the deceased’s son lodged a complaint against him, this case continued to boil in the State till the end of this year. Opposition BJP and Congress staged protests both inside and outside the State Assembly. Rallies, bandhs, protest marches etc were held across the State demanding arrest of Jena.

The police have arrested eight persons in connection with the case and trial is on in the SDJM court.

• Jharaphula Nayak murder: The killing of a graduate student of Rama Devi Women’s University, Jharaphula Nayak in the last week of January by some unknown miscreants kept the media as well as public busy guessing who could be the murderer. It was a tough challenge for the investigating team to nab the murders of the girl student who hailed from Jashipur of Mayurbhanj district. As the university was closed due to the pandemic, she was at her home. However, she visited Bhubaneswar to attend a friend’s birthday party.

Later her body was found on roadside in Kuakhia of Jajpur district. In connection with the murder case, two youth including boyfriend of Jharaphula were arrested. Police sources said one more accused have been still at large.

• Headless woman’s body recovered: Another mysterious murder was reported in Odisha in the month of February. A headless woman’s dead body was found on roadside in Bharatpur area on outskirts of Bhubaneswar. During police investigation it was found out that Sanjay Das, who was staying at Phuleswara slum in Patrapada, murdered his beloved Pushpalata Roul following a tiff. As Roul was married twice before her wedding with Das, the argument took place over the past relationships. With the help of an associate, Das later killed Roul and severed her head to destroy evidence.

• Doctor defrauded of Rs 77 lakh by cyber fraudsters: A doctor from Cuttack was duped over Rs 77 lakh from his bank accounts by cyber fraudsters. As per a complaint filed by Doctor Sanatan Mohanty in February, a person called up him and asked to provide his bank details on the pretext to activate his ATM card which have been blocked. The State Crime branch investigated the cyber fraud case. Mohanty complained that Rs 77,86,727 have been fraudulently transacted from his two bank accounts between February 9 to 15.

In a related development, an Ayurvedic doctor was allegedly duped by a fake insurance company located outside the country of Rs 55 lakh. The doctor came to know that no such insurance company exists when he tried to redeem the policies after maturity date.

• Ex-lover hacks woman to death in Bhimatangi area: A married woman was murdered after her throat being slit by a man at her rented house in Bhimatangi area of Bhubaneswar during afternoon hours. Above all, the murderer made a WhatsApp video call to the woman’s husband and showed him how she was lying in a pool of blood. The shocked husband called up local police as well as the landlord. When the police broke open the house, the woman’s bloodied body was found lying on the floor and a man found unconscious on a bed beside.

During the questioning of the man, he revealed he was in a relationship with the woman before her marriage to another person. The murderer also said he decided to eliminate the woman when she tried to avoid him after again the woman contacted her in rcent past. He had plans to kill the woman’s three-year-old as well, but somehow failed. The attacker confessed to the crime and was arrested by the police.

• Death of Paralakhemundi ACF: Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, Assistant Conservator of Forest was found with severe burnt injuries at his official residence in Paralakhemundi in the month of July. Later he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Cuttack. Accusing Mohapatra’s wife, Paralakhemundi DFO and a cook of murdering him, family members of the ACF lodged a complaint against them. The matter was drawn for subsequent few months as new allegations were leveled against the wife, DFO and cook.

However, during an investigation by the Crime Branch of Odisha Police, it was found out that the ACF sustained grievous injuries while burning some papers at his official residence. Though his wife was present at the spot, she did not come forward to rescue her husband. Surprisingly, no arrest has been made in this case till now.

• Journalist son Manish Anurag’s murder: The Twin City Commissionerate of Police was in tizzy after senior Journalist Navin Das’ son Manish Anurag was recovered from a pond in Patrapada area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in October. During investigation, the police zeroed in on three friends of Anurag as initial suspects. It was later found out that the three persons killed Anurag and threw the body into the pond to give the death a suicide angle. Following an argument over payment of hotel and bar bills, the three friends of Anurag killed him and threw the body in the pond. The three accused have been currently lodged in jail.

• Man kills wife, son after losing money in stock trading: In an unfortunate incident, a man strangulated wife and 10-year-old son to death in Kalinganagar area in Bhubaneswar after reportedly losing money in stock market trading. The double murder created shock among the people of the city. While the man’s wife and son were sleeping in their rooms, the man allegedly strangulated them with clothes.

After committing the crime, the man fled the spot till he was traced by some locals and handed over to the police. During questioning, the accused said he lost more than Rs 1 crore in stock market trading and did not want his wife and child to suffer due to that.

• Mamita Meher murder: This sensational murder case sent shockwaves across the State for almost half of the year 2021. Mamita Meher, who was working as Principal of Sunshine English Medium School in Mahaling of Kalahandi district, was murdered, and the body was chopped into pieces before being set on fire and buried.

After family members of the woman teacher lodged a complaint, the police arrested Gobind Sahu, President of the school’s managing committee in connection with the case. But Gobind Sahu managed to escape from the police custody. The case then hit headlines following which the police nabbed Sahu again two days after his escape. Even conspicuously the police spotted the place where the woman teacher’s body parts were buried the same day of Sahu’s arrest.

Accusing a Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra of shielding accused Gobind Sahu, Opposition BJP and Congress held protests across the State. During Assembly sessions, both BJP and Congress members raked up the issue and paralysed the House.

Considerable time has passed since then. But the police and the State Crime Branch, who take charge of the case later, is yet to make any headway. Reasons behind the woman teacher’s murder are to yet to be revealed.

So far, only some theories are doing rounds in connection with the Mamita Meher murder case. One such theory was the woman teacher knew about the sex racket running at Mahaling College and Sunshine school with the backing of Gobind Sahu and that could be the reason for her murder.

Another theory was that Mamita Meher was aware of the extra-marital affairs of accused Sahu and she threatened to reveal it in public. Nursing a grudge against Mamita Meher, the accused took her in his car from Turekela Jharani village in Balangir district and murdered her on the way.

• Chittaranjan Palei murder: Family members of Chittaranjan Palei, a security guard engaged with Odisha Planning Board vice chairman Sanjay Kumar Das Burma accused the BJD politician of conspiring to kill Palei whose body was found floating in Nuanai river of Puri district on December 13. The body was fished out and multiple injury marks were found over it. His family members stated 22-year-old Palei went missing after attending a function organized by aide of Das Burma on December 11 night.

Acting as per directive issued by DGP Abhay, the State Crime Branch took over the Chittaranjan Palei murder from the police. On the other hand, Opposition BJP demanded resignation of Das Burma suspecting the Crime Branch may shield the Odisha Planning Board vice chairman.

So far, two people have been arrested in connection with the case and are on the Crime Branch remand.

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