Two more accused were arrested by the CBI on Friday in connection with the sensational case of murder of Australian Christian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two minor sons in the Anandpur area of Mayurbhanj district 14 years ago.
Ghanashyam Mahanta and Ramjan Mahanta, two associates of prime accused of the case Dara Singh, were caught from their native villages Goyalmunda and Bhalughera, respectively. They were later produced before the CBI court.
Staines and his sons Timothy (10) and Philip (6) were burnt to death while they were asleep in a jeep at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district on the late night of January 22, 1999.
The brutal crime was committed by Rabindra Pal Singh alias Dara and his associates. Dara was awarded death penalty by a lower court, but the Odisha High Court had commuted the death sentence to life term in May 2005.
Dara had also challenged the High Court’s verdict in the Supreme Court, which too upheld the High Court’s judgement in January 2011.
Accused Ghanashyam and Ramjan had been absconding since the crime was committed. The police had been trying to track their movements and they were finally caught when came to their villages.
Graham Staines, who ran a leprosy home at Baripada, the district headquarters town ofMayurbhanj, and his two sons were sleeping in their Station Wagon when a crowd surrounded the vehicle and set it ablaze killing all three.
Staines had gone to Manoharpur in the Anandapur area of neighbouring Keonjhar district with his sons and some others on January 20, 1999 to participate in a ‘jungle camp’, an annual gathering of Christians for fellowship, prayer and teaching.