Bhubaneswar, 10 August (H.S.): In a major development in the suspicious death of a Plus-3 student from Pattamundai, police on Sunday arrested her boyfriend, Pramod Behera, five days after her charred body was found under mysterious circumstances.

The arrest followed an FIR lodged by the victim’s father at Pattamundai Rural Police Station, accusing Behera of harassment, blackmail, and driving his daughter into depression. Kendrapara SP Siddharth Kataria said obscene photographs of the victim were recovered from Behera’s mobile phone. He further revealed that on July 17, Behera had sent an explicit video of the victim to her father and two others, allegedly intending to circulate it.

A special police team traced Behera to Chennai before bringing him to Kendrapara for questioning. His father, however, has claimed that his son is being falsely implicated and has threatened to take his own life if Behera is not released.

The case first made headlines last week when the victim’s burnt body was discovered tied to a grill gate in her village. The unusual circumstances have raised doubts over whether she died by suicide or was murdered. Police sources said CCTV footage from the victim’s village has provided important leads in reconstructing the events preceding her death.

Central Range IG Praveen Kumar visited Kendrapara on Sunday to review the investigation, holding meetings with the SP and probe team. Investigators have questioned the victim’s family members and the accused’s relatives to reconcile conflicting statements. Forensic experts are expected to revisit the scene for fresh evidence, while digital forensics teams continue to analyse recovered mobile and CCTV data.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda