The accused husband is a local Panchayat Extension Officer (PEO), police said. (Representational)

Bhubaneswar:

The Rourkela Police in Odisha on Friday arrested a man and his brother-in-law, an Assistant Sub Inspector of Police, for hatching a plot to kill the pregnant wife at Jhirdapali village in Sundargarh district.

The accused persons were identified as Deben Kumar Behera (35), of Jhirdapali village under the Tikayatpali police limits and Satya Narayan Behera (48), of Gopinathpur village in Ghusura Police Station of Sundargarh district.

The accused husband Deben Kumar is a local Panchayat Extension Officer (PEO) while his brother-in-law, ASI Satya Narayan is posted at the Uditnagar Court in Sundargarh.

Speaking to media persons, DIG of Police (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said that the victim, Shamyamayee Behera’s husband Deben Kumar gave the statement before police that some miscreants, who came to his house with the intention to commit loot.

The victim Shamyamayee engaged in a brawl with the miscreants while they were trying to snatch away her gold chain and Mangalsutra.

In the meantime, the miscreants fired bullets at the pregnant Shamyamayee and decamped with the ornaments. She was rushed to the Bonai Sub-Divisional Hospital (BSDH) where doctors declared her brought dead.

Mr Rai also revealed that after getting the information he and Superintendent of Police Rourkela Nitesh Wadwani immediately visited the scene of crime and took stock of the situation without delay.

A special team was formed by the Rourkela SP to collect the evidence and determine the timeline of events and veracity of statements given by family and neighbours.

The investigating team on the basis of the discrepancies in statements, timeline, contradictory forensic evidence and concealing of certain facts by the victim’s husband, Deben Kumar, arrived at the conclusion that this was a premeditated murder.

“The police during the course of investigation ascertained that he (Deben Kumar) has murdered his wife. He is engaged in an illicit relationship with another lady which was opposed by the wife. So, the accused husband killed his wife to get rid of her,” said DIG Rai.

The police also revealed that the accused Satya Narayan was involved in the concealing of the weapon of offence. He also helped the prime accused Deben Kumar to get away with the crime.

Police have seized one Scorpio (OD14AC3531), a country-made pistol with three rounds of live ammunition and one empty case of the ammunition of the country-made pistol.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)