Rourkela: A panchayat executive officer (PEO), who was arrested in Sundargarh district on Friday for allegedly murdering his pregnant wife over an extramarital affair, had taken her shopping on the same night to show he is a caring husband, police said on Saturday.
Anama Charan Naik, inspector in-charge, Tikayatpalli police station, said Deben Kumar Behera (35), PEO in Gurundia block, killed his wife Samyamayee on Dec 12 around 12.30 am at their residence in Jhirdapalli. The accused initially claimed that armed robbers had shot his wife and stolen her gold chain.
“Investigation revealed that Behera took his wife shopping at Bonai market on the evening of Dec 11, to show he is a caring husband. He even treated her to street food before returning home,” said Naik.
During interrogation, Behera confessed to shooting his wife with an illegal country-made pistol when she stepped out of the washroom. His brother-in-law, Satya Narayan Behera, an assistant sub-inspector at Uditnagar court, allegedly helped conceal the crime and dispose of the weapon.
Both the accused were arrested on Friday evening and remanded to judicial custody at Bonai jail.
Brijesh Rai, DIG (western range), confirmed that departmental action has been initiated against the accused ASI. The Sundargarh collector is expected to suspend Behera from his post, according to M R Behera, block development officer, Gurundia.
The victim’s father, Pitambar Behera, had reportedly received a warning call from an unknown woman prior to the Feb 7 wedding. Samyamayee was the younger of Pitambar’s two daughters.
A special police team led by Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani, including two additional SPs and an SDPO, conducted the investigation by questioning seven persons, including the accused’s mother and aunt, before cracking the case.