Psycho killer Buddhadeb Behera, the prime accused in the Delanga rape and murder case, attempted suicide in the Nimapara Sub-Jail in Puri district early on Monday morning.
However, the reason for his taking the extreme step was yet to be ascertained.
Buddhadeb reportedly cut his hands and other body parts with a blade at around 2 am. After the jail authorities found him lying in a pool of blood, he was first shifted to the local hospital and later to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital.
However, as Buddhadeb’s condition deteriorated, he was then referred to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
Earlier, police on August 16 had arrested Buddhadeb (31), a labour contractor, for allegedly raping and murdering a woman in a forest at Delanga on August 2. The was identified as Anita Nayak (27) of Kajuri village under the Raikia police station in Kandhamal district.
A native of Deogarh district, Buddhadeb was working in Andhra Pradesh and was earlier involved in similar crimes in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
In 2012, Buddhadeb had been arrested in a case of rape and murder and was lodged in jail. later, he complained of sickness and was taken to a hospital in Deogarh, from where he escaped from police custody.