Cook Manmath Kumbha arrested in ACF Soumya Ranjan death case

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Bhubaneswar: The Parlakhemundi Police on Wednesday arrested cook Manmath Kumbha in connection with the death of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra.

Kumbha was arrested from his native village in the early hours of Wednesday while a police team was executing a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him by the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court in Paralakhemundi.

Acting on reliable information about Kumbha’s presence in the village, the police team apprehended him. He was being produced before the SDJM court in Paralakhemundi for further legal action.

The warrant was issued against Kumbha in connection with a case registered under Sections 302 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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On July 11, 2021, Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, then posted as ACF in Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district, suffered nearly 80 per cent burn injuries under mysterious circumstances at his official residence. He succumbed to burn injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Cuttack.

Later, his family members lodged a complaint alleging that he had been murdered. In the complaint they had named then Gajapati Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Behera, Soumya’s wife Bidya Bharati Panda and cook Manmath Kumbha as accused.

Also Read: ACF Soumya Ranjan Death Case: Supreme Court Dismisses Bidya Bharati’s Plea

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