Former Crime Branch IG Arun Bothra testifies in 2018 parcel bomb case

Bhubaneswar, Sept 3: former Crime Branch IG Arun Bothra on Tuesday testified as a key witness in the Patnagarh Additional District Judge court regarding the 2018 parcel bomb explosion case that resulted in two fatalities, including that of a newlywed.

Bothra, who led the investigation, appeared as the 60th witness. He played a pivotal role in solving the case, which led to the arrest of Punjilal Meher, an English lecturer, who is accused of orchestrating the attack. Bothra’s investigation involved recreating the crime scene and documenting how Meher assembled and dispatched the bomb to the victims' family via courier.

The Crime Branch has requested that the court display the CD containing the crime scene footage, but this request has been contested by the defense counsel. The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 11.

The incident occurred on February 23, 2018, when Soumyasekhar Sahoo and his grandmother were killed by a parcel bomb they received as a wedding gift. Soumyasekhar’s wife, Reema Sahoo, suffered severe injuries. Reports indicate that Meher had plotted the attack to exact revenge on Soumyasekhar’s mother, Sanjukta, following her appointment as Principal of Bhainsa College.