The Puri Police have arrested a dreaded criminal allegedly involved in the brutal murder of a transgender person on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, following an encounter.
The 25-year-old accused, identified as Krushna Kandi, is a resident of the Konark area of Puri district.
Kandi sustained a bullet injury to his left leg during the encounter with police on Wednesday and was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for advanced treatment.
It is pertinent here to mention that the victim transgender, Dinesh Prasad Rout alias Anjali, of Salepur area in Cuttack district, was allegedly murdered by the accused following an altercation near Uttara under Pipili police station limits on February 1.
The brutal murder, which took place on the side of the national highway, has evoked widespread outrage, with the transgender communities staging protests at different places in the state demanding justice for the victim.
The Puri Police initiated an investigation in in the matter by registering a case at Pipili Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act.
With the help of a scientific team and a sniffer dog, the Pipili Police conducted an investigation at the scene and seized blood-soaked soil, slippers, underwear and some other items.
To catch the accused, the Puri Police formed a Special Investigative Team led by an Additional Superintendent of Police. During investigation, the police through intelligence identified accused Kandi, an anti-social element, as the prime accused in the case related to the murder of Dinesh.
The police, who were tracking Kandi, located him in the Pipili area on Wednesday evening, where an encounter ensued between the police and the accused.
Informing about the development, police said,”upon receiving information of his (Kandi’s) presence near Tarakaju, our team attempted to apprehend him. Kandi opened fire on the team, prompting the police to resort to controlled firing in self-defence.
In the retaliatory fire, Kandi sustained leg injury.
The accused has been arrested and is undergoing treatment at SCB Medical.
He has a history of involvement in multiple snatching cases. Investigation is ongoing.
Police are yet to reveal the actual cause leading to the murder of the transgender.
