Bhubaneswar: A day after the arrest of the prime suspect in the alleged rape and murder of a Plus II student in Dhenkanal district, police on Sunday arrested three of his associates in connection with the case.All four — prime accused Jaga alias Gangadhar Patra (38), and his aides Chandan Kumar Naik (26), Rasananda Naik (64) and Madan Mohan Patra (40) — were produced before the court on Sunday, where their bail pleas were rejected and they were remanded in judicial custody.The 16-year-old girl had gone missing on March 18, and her body was discovered near the village panchayat office the following day. “Prima facie, it appears she was raped and murdered. The exact cause of death will be confirmed by the post-mortem report. Patra alone sexually assaulted the minor girl, while the others assisted in disposing of her body,” said Dhenkanal SP Abhinav Sonkar.According to police sources, Patra, who is a bus driver, lured the victim to his residence, where he allegedly abused her. He then sought the help of his associates to dump her body near the village panchayat office. Police suspect the murder preceded the disposal. Two of the accused are reportedly relatives of Patra.Police have seized a white SUV believed to have been used in transporting the body, along with three mobile phones, the victim’s college bag, and blood-stained clothes. On Saturday, police officers recreated the crime scene and sent crucial evidence for forensic examination.The incident has sparked outrage, with opposition parties criticizing the govt over women’s safety. The BJP, however, highlighted the swift police action, calling it evidence of the govt’s zero-tolerance policy against perpetrators of sexual violence.“The case is under investigation. We are awaiting forensic and post-mortem reports to establish the full sequence of events. Charge sheet will be filed against the accused soon,” SP Sonkar said.
