The Officer in Charge of Bheden Police Station, Sushil Naik, who was absconding in the Makhnu Bag death case, has finally been arrested by Bheden police from Bargarh town. He was produced before the Birmaharajpur Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), who remanded him in judicial custody on Monday. With this, the number of arrests made in the custodial death case went up to five.
On Monday last week, Sub-Inspector Soumya Ranjan Patra and Assistant Sub-Inspector Pitambar Behera of Bheden police station were arrested for their alleged involvement in bumping off Bag of Dekulba village under Bheden police limits in Bargarh district. Subsequently, police nabbed Home Guard Prakash Dehury and Home Guard driver Pramod Sahu on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the killing.
On the other hand, the woman constable, Geeta Bhoi who was present at the police station during the incident, is still at large.
On Sunday morning, the skeletal remains of Bag were handed over to his family members.
A rape case had been registered at Bheden police station in June against Raju, son of Bag. As Raju was absconding, police had called Bag to the police station for interrogation. Bag last visited Bheden police station on July 17 with Gram Rakhi of the village, Kushal Chatar and since then had gone missing.
The family members searched for him, but in vain. They even knocked the doors of Bheden police only to be informed that Bag had left for his house. His skeletal remains were found in Metakani forest in Ulunda block of Sonepur district on September 24. After confirming that the skeletal remains belonged to Bag, his son Biju lodged a complaint with Ulunda police stating that Bag was killed by Bheden police and the body dumped in the forest.
Ulunda police, in the presence of the Magistrate, seized the skeletal remains and began investigating into the matter.
The skeletal remains, sent for DNA testing, confirmed that those were of Bag.
