Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch on Monday arrested a 54-year-old man in connection with the lynching of Government Railway Police (GRP) constable Soumya Ranjan Swain in Odisha, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 20, police said.
The accused, identified as Rabi alias Subash Bhoi, a resident of Kalarahanga village under Mancheswar police station limits in Bhubaneswar, was apprehended after investigators identified him from video footage collected during the probe.
Swain was allegedly tied to a pole and beaten to death by a mob in the Bhingarpur-Kaja area under Balianta police station on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on May 7.
The assault followed allegations by a woman that the constable had attempted to rape her after a collision between his motorcycle and her two-wheeler, police said.
According to investigators, substantial evidence gathered during the investigation led to Bhoi’s arrest. Officials said efforts are continuing to identify and apprehend the remaining suspects, with around six more accused still absconding.
“The investigation is continuing on a priority basis,” a police officer said.
The case is being investigated by the CID-Crime Branch.
The incident had triggered widespread outrage, prompting the Odisha government to suspend senior IPS officer Dayal Gangwar after it emerged that eight GRP constables, including Swain, had allegedly been engaged in domestic work at his residence.
Swain’s family had alleged that he was subjected to harassment by the IPS officer and was under considerable stress before his death.
The state government had also suspended four police personnel for allegedly failing to intervene and save Swain during the assault despite being present at the spot. The inspector-in-charge of Balianta police station was subsequently transferred.
A team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) later conducted an on-the-spot inquiry into the incident.
