Bhubaneswar: Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan made a shocking revelation about Deepak Rout, the prime accused in the lady traffic constable Subhamitra murder case.
According to the Minister, Deepak Rout had allegedly murdered his first wife, Aparna Priyadarshini, in 2022 to claim insurance money. This contradicts Deepak’s earlier claim that Aparna’s death was an accident.
The Law Minister made this significant revelation while responding to a motion tabled by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) regarding the murder of traffic constable Subhamitra Sahu. This revelation has added a new dimension to the Subhamitra murder case, with Deepak Rout’s past actions coming under scrutiny.
During the investigation, it was found that Aparna’s death was initially ruled as an accident caused by a truck collision. However, further probe revealed that the truck allegedly involved was actually in Rourkela on the day of the incident. This discrepancy raises serious questions about the circumstances surrounding Aparna’s death and potential cover-up. The Law Minister emphasized the need for clarity on why and in whose interest Aparna’s murder was allegedly concealed. He made these revelations targeting the former BJD government’s handling of the case, revealed the Minister.
On March 17, 2022, Deepak had stated that Aparna was hit by a truck (OD-02-AS-3486) while he was changing the car’s tire. Aparna died shortly after being taken to the hospital. An unnatural death case was registered, but Deepak allegedly manipulated the situation to claim Aparna’s insurance money Rs 20 lakh, claimed the Minister.
According to the Minister, Deepak was arrested on September 9, 2024, for murdering his wife Subhamitra, a traffic constable. The investigation revealed that Deepak had married Subhamitra in a court on July 23, 2024 and had demanded Rs 20,00,000 from her family to perform the marriage as per Hindu rituals. When Subhamitra refused, Deepak allegedly strangled her to death on September 6, 2024, and buried her body at Kusunpur village under Ghatagaon police station in Keonjhar district with the help of two others.
Deepak confessed to the crime, stating that he had killed Subhamitra in Unit-6, Bhubaneswar, and then transported her body to Kusunpur village district. The police had been searching for Subhamitra since her disappearance and had even announced a reward for information leading to her whereabouts. Based on prima facie evidence, the three accused were arrested on September 17, 2025, and produced before the court on September 18, 2025. All the accused are currently lodged in the Jharpada Special Jail. The case is still under investigation, revealed the Minister.
According to the data, crimes against women in Odisha have shown a fluctuating trend over the past five years. In 2020, there were 27,810 cases, which increased to 35,326 in 2021. The number of cases decreased to 27,964 in 2022 but rose again to 30,078 in 2023 and 30,779 in 2024.
However, when comparing the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, with the same period in the previous year (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024), there has been an overall decrease in the number of crimes against women and children under the current government, informed the Minister.
The Law Minister informed the Odisha Assembly about a notable decrease in various crimes across the state. According to the minister, crimes against women have shown a significant decline. Specifically, cases of sexual harassment have decreased by 7.4%, while public disrobing of women cases have dropped by 22.8%. Additionally, voyeurism cases have decreased by 18.6%, and stalking cases have gone down by 9.2%.
Furthermore, more severe crimes like acid attacks on women have seen a substantial decrease of 70.0%, and women trafficking cases have decreased by 29.0%. Dowry-related crimes have also shown a decline, with dowry death cases decreasing by 13.7% and dowry harassment cases by 6.0%.
The Minister also highlighted a decrease in other types of crimes. Murder cases have dropped by 6.5%, dacoity cases by 4.9%, and robbery cases have seen a significant decline of 34.1%. Rioting cases have decreased by 14.3%, and snatching cases have gone down by 3.0%.
“I am deeply distressed and saddened that sensitive issues like rape and gang rape against women are being politicized in this esteemed House. I want to emphasize that whenever any such incident occurs in the state, the state government takes immediate and necessary action”, said the Minister.
