Kendrapara police have arrested Pramod Behera, the boyfriend of a Plus-3 student from Pattamundai, in connection with her mysterious death, five days after her charred body was discovered under suspicious circumstances.
The arrest follows an FIR lodged by the victim’s father, alleging harassment, blackmail, and abetment to suicide.
Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kataria confirmed that investigators recovered obscene photos of the victim from Behera’s phone. On July 17, Behera allegedly sent an explicit video of the victim to her father and two others, reportedly intending to circulate it further.
A police team tracked Behera to Chennai before bringing him back to Kendrapara for questioning. Meanwhile, his father has claimed that his son is being framed and has threatened self-harm if Behera is not released.
The case has drawn public attention due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the young woman’s death — her burnt body was found tied to a grill gate in her village, raising questions over whether she could have done so herself or if it was a staged murder.
CCTV footage from the victim’s village has provided crucial leads, while Central Range IG Praveen Kumar visited Kendrapara to review progress. Police have interrogated both families and are working with forensic experts to collect fresh evidence and analyse digital data, including mobile phone and CCTV records, to determine the exact cause of death.
