The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has apprehended the main suspect in the brutal mob lynching of Government Railway Police constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in the Balianta police station area near Bhubaneswar on May 7. Acting on Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s orders, the Crime Branch took over the investigation into the incident that shook the Bhingarpur-Kaja locality.
According to a statement released by the Crime Branch, the prime accused, Ranjit Patra alias Chinu, aged 24 and hailing from Gangeswargada in Cuttack, was arrested on May 14 based on substantial evidence gathered during the probe. The investigation uncovered his alleged role in attacking the victim with a bamboo stick after immobilizing him by tying his hands and legs.
Furthermore, another suspect, Judhisthira Jena alias Bunty, aged 22, was also arrested on May 11 and remanded to judicial custody by the Court. With a total of 13 individuals now in custody in connection with the lynching case, efforts are ongoing to track down and apprehend any other individuals involved in the incident.
The Crime Branch has assumed full control over the investigation of two cases filed at the Balianta Police Station, one concerning the mob lynching of Soumya and the other stemming from a complaint filed by one of the girls involved, accusing the deceased of a sexual assault attempt.
