BERHAMPUR: The Crime Branch of Odisha police, which is probing the death of assistant conservator of forest (ACF), Paralakhemundi, on Friday interrogated Mamata Panda, officer-in-charge of Gurandi police station at Paralakhemundi.
There are allegations against Mamata that she detained the ambulance that carried the ACF, Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, to Cuttack on July 12 after the forest officer sustained burn injuries in his quarters, a day before he succumbed to his injuries.
The Crime Branch grilled Panda for over three hours. During the interrogation, she reportedly told the Crime Branch that she was a distant relative of Bidya Bharati Panda, wife of the deceased forest officer. She was going to the hospital where he was initially treated as he was her relative. “I answered all the questions they asked me,” said Mamata.
Earlier, they interrogated the ambulance driver and helper, doctors, who initially treated the forest officer and tehsildar of Paralakhemundi, who was present during his dying declaration.
The forest officer sustained burn injuries in his official quarter on July 12 and died at a private hospital in Cuttack on July 13. His wife was present in the house during the incident.
The deceased’s father, Abhiram Mohapatra, alleged that his son was murdered. After a month of investigation by Paralakhemundi police, the Crime Branch took over the probe into the muc-publicised case recently.
