Patnagarh parcel bomb case: How a mysterious letter and forensic clues unmasked Punjilal Meher

In a case that initially had no eyewitnesses and no direct evidence, justice finally caught up with the mastermind behind the infamous Patnagarh parcel bomb blast case. Punjilal Meher, a former English lecturer, was convicted on Wednesday (May 28) in one of Odisha’s most sensational criminal cases — a crime that shocked the state with its audacity and cruelty.

Despite the absence of surveillance footage, witnesses, or obvious motives at first glance, the Crime Branch, under the leadership of then-IG Arun Bothra, pieced together the case using forensic evidence and a peculiar piece of anonymous correspondence.

Also Read: Patnagarh parcel bomb case: Court awards life imprisonment to accused Punjilal Meher

From A Blind Situation To Conviction

“It was an important case as there was no direct evidence or eyewitness. From a blind situation to conviction, it gives immense pleasure as the Crime Branch team had worked hard on the investigation of the case. When we started the probe after the blast, nothing was found at the spot. After a month, the Crime Branch took over the case,” recalled Bothra while talking to reporters today.

Nobody Suspected Punjilal

After the incident, nobody suspected Punjilal Meher. Known for his academic background and low-profile lifestyle, he seemed an unlikely perpetrator. However, the investigation took a dramatic turn when the Crime Branch received an anonymous letter written in fluent English, seemingly sent to mislead the police. But that very letter became the first thread unraveling the truth.

“Nobody had doubted Punjilal Meher after the incident. The case was totally blind. The accused Punjilal was very cleaver and he told me he had not thought that anybody could catch him. Punjilal had sent a letter to mislead the investigation. The letter was written in English and the language, font, its size and spacing gave us a clue that it was written by someone well versed in English,” said Bothra.

The Turning Point Patnagarh Parcel Bomb Case

According to Arun Bothra, only one person in Patnagarh had the kind of refined English used in the letter — Punjilal Meher, the town’s former English teacher. This clue raised suspicion and led the team to dig deeper. Forensic experts matched the letter to Meher’s handwriting and traced the materials used — the envelope, stamps, and printer — back to him.

“It was around late night that I called up the investigating team regarding this and we started suspecting Punjilal. He had purchased 10 envelopes and used 1 to send the letter. Later, we recovered 9 unused envelopes, glue used from his house along with printer and laptop. It was the turning point in the case. We had sent the glue recovered from Punjilal’s house for lab examination, which matched,” informed Bothra.

Also Read: From blast to conviction, a timeline of Patnagarh parcel bomb incident that shook Odisha

The Final Breakthrough

The final breakthrough came when remnants of the parcel bomb, including the specific kind of wire used, were found in a dustbin near Punjilal’s residence. To further confirm their suspicions, investigators asked him to demonstrate how the bomb could have been assembled. Under supervision, Punjilal reconstructed the explosive in front of the Crime Branch officials, a chilling yet decisive moment in the probe.

During interrogation, Arun Bothra had a lot of discussion with Punjilal. He said that the team brought Punjilal to such a level that he showed us how to prepare the bomb.

‘Forensic Evidence Holds Key When No Direct Evidence’

According to Bothra, Punjilal had brought a lot of crackers and he removed all the gunpowder and threw the wrappers in dustbin outside his house and burnt it.

“Our team took some scrapping from the dustbin and the lab report confirmed that the bomb which exploded at victim’s house and the elements of the smoke are same in the dustbin. It proved it to be scientific evidence from the dustbin,” said Bothra.

Speaking to the media today, Arun Bothra recalled, “All the clues — the letter, the materials, the forensic evidence, and the live demonstration — pointed squarely to Punjilal. That’s what led to today’s conviction.”

So, finally, the case that was built on sharp observation, scientific precision, and a crucial misstep by the accused himself, has now reached its legal conclusion.