Kendrapara girl student’s death: Accused boyfriend arrested, obscene video clips recovered

In a significant breakthrough in the mysterious death of a Plus-3 student from Pattamundai, police on Sunday arrested her boyfriend, Pramod Behera, five days after her charred body was discovered under suspicious circumstances. The arrest comes amid intense speculation over whether the young woman died by taking her own life or was murdered.

The arrest came after a formal FIR was lodged by the victim’s father at Pattamundai Rural Police Station last evening, accusing Behera of harassment, blackmail, and driving his daughter into depression.

Kendrapara Superintendent of Police, Siddharth Kataria informed sources that obscene photographs of the victim were recovered from Behera’s mobile phone. He also added that on July 17, Behera sent an explicit video of the victim to her father and two others with the intention of circulating it.

Police say Behera was traced to Chennai by a special team before being brought to Kendrapara for questioning.

Meanwhile, Behera’s father has publicly claimed his son is being framed, accusing the police of bias and even threatening to kill himself if his son is not released.

Suspicious Circumstances of Death

The case first drew attention last week when the student’s burnt body was found tied to a grill gate in her village. The unusual positioning has raised serious questions about the nature of her death, whether she could have tied herself before setting the fire, or if the evidence points to deliberate murder.

While the exact cause remains unclear, police sources say CCTV footage from the victim’s village has yielded crucial leads in understanding the sequence of events before her death.

Central Range IG Praveen Kumar visited Kendrapara on Sunday to review the investigation. He held closed-door meetings with the SP and the probe team, examining collected evidence and planning further steps.

The SP also interrogated the victim’s parents and brother, as well as the accused’s mother and sister, to reconcile conflicting testimonies. Forensic experts are expected to revisit the scene to collect fresh evidence, while digital forensics teams analyse recovered mobile data and CCTV clips.