Police are close to solving the sensational gift parcel bomb explosion that killed two persons, including newly-wed Soumyasekhar Sahu, in Patnagarh on February 23 with the Crime Branch’s SIT carrying out a marathon grilling of the seven detainees, including two Bhainsa College lecturers for their alleged involvement in the case.
Bhaisa College English lecturer Punjilal Meher is the prime accused and further investigation is on, said DGP RP Sharma on Tuesday.
“The investigation in the case has almost reached its conclusion. The Crime Branch is taking the investigation to its logical end and a team is in Raipur. Punjilal is the prime accused, but no one has been arrested so far. We will share the details after ascertaining a few more facts,” said DGP Sharma.
On the other hand, Punjilal’s wife Soudamini rubbished the allegations. “My husband is innocent; he would never commit such a crime. He is highly educated. It is a frame-up against my husband by the Crime Branch as they are not able to catch the main culprit,” said Soudamini.
However, the lone survivor in the gift blast case, bride Reemarani Sahu demanded stern action against Punjilal and all the accused in the case.
“People of Odisha should know the truth. Everybody suspected a love angle behind the incident, but I knew that my husband was innocent,” she added.
Sources said Punjilal reportedly hatched the conspiracy to settle personal scores with the mother of deceased Soumyashekhar, Sanjukta Sahu, after she took over as the new Principal of the Bhainsa College.
Punjilal had held the post of Principal at Bhainsa College despite being junior to Sanjukta, who has now been appointed the Principal of the college. This had apparently allegedly prompted him to mastermind the crime.
Crime Branch officials had visited the college on Monday along with a sniffer dog and interrogated the college staffs. From there, the team went Punjilal’s ancestral house and seized various incriminating documents and some crude bombs, sources said.
Punjilal and his associate Umesh Matari were earlier interrogated by CB officials in connection with the parcel blast incident. One Baibhasuta Bindhani, also under the CB lens, continued to be grilled at the Circuit House in Balangir, informed sources.