The Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC), investigating into the alleged dowry torture case against former Minister Raghunath Mohanty and four of his family members, on Sunday arrested Mohanty’s son Raja Shree alias Bapi (28).
Working in a private steel company, Raja Shree had married in June last year and was contemplating to contest in the next Assembly elections from the Jaleswar segment on a BJD ticket.
The arrest came apparently to suppress a massive public outcry questioning the State Government’s decision to hand over the case to the HRPC when the local police headed by an upright lady IPS officer as Baleswar SP was doing a good job in the case filed by Raja Shree’s wife Barshasoni Choudhury at the Baleswar Town police station.
A senior officer of the State police headquarters here informed that Raja Shree was arrested on Sunday morning from an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Cuttack city by a team of HRPC cops.
The officer said that on the basis of preliminary investigations and relying on prima facie evidences collected so far, Raja Shree, the key accused in the case, was taken into custody. “He (Raja Shree) was questioned extensively here by the investigating police team and would be taken to Baleswar where he would be produced in a court on Monday after further questioning by the HRPC team camping at Baleswar for last two days,” the officer said.
It could not be immediately ascertained as to how the HRPC cops managed to apprehend Raja Shree, who alone from among the booked accused persons has preferred an anticipatory bail application in the Odisha High Court. The advance bail plea has not been taken up yet.
The officer, however, refused to share with the public if any evidence is gathered till now about other accused named in the FIR, including the former Minister, his wife, daughter and son-in-law, whose whereabouts are not known ever since Barshasoni lodged her complaint of dowry torture on Thursday.
The officer maintained that investigations are on and appropriate actions would be taken against other accused named in the FIR on the basis of further evidences available. However, there is no information yet about the former Minister, who has apparently gone underground since resigning from the Cabinet on Friday. Sources said he is apparently in touch with lawyers and planning to move a petition for anticipatory bail in the High Court on Monday.
The MlA’s daughter-in-law, a 23-year-old engineering graduate had alleged before the Balasore police that she was gifted at least Rs 10 lakh by her relatives during her marriage in June last year. But her in-laws, including her husband tortured her physically and mentally demanding Rs 25 lakh and an all-terrain four-wheeler costing between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 12 lakh in Odisha market.