Paralakhemundi: Nearly a week after the successor of Gajapati dynasty of Pralakhemundi and former MP Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deb was shifted to Chennai for treatment, his palace manager Anang Manjari Patra, who was at the centre of controversy over the deteriorating health condition of the king, allegedly committed suicide along with her two siblings at her house here.
She and her sister were suspected to have consumed poison while the body of her brother Sanjay Patra was found hanging in the same room. Another brother of the palace manager, identified as Tulu Patra, has been rescued in a critical condition and admitted to MKCG hospital in Berhampur.
People in the area informed the police after foul odour emanated from the house. The police broke open a door in the presence of an executive magistrate and found the bodies inside the house.
They said that the house was locked from inside for the last three days and no one was seen entering or coming out.
Meanwhile, SP along with a team of police rushed to the spot and started investigation. IG Amitabh Thakur said the prima facie evidence revealed that it is case of suicide. However, the exact reason of the death can only be ascertained after post-mortem, he added.
The statement of the rescued brother of the deceased will also be recorded, Thakur said.
On the other hand, Purnima Patra, the sister of the deceased, said, "They might have taken the drastic step after losing mental balance in wake of the hue and cry over allegations of financial misappropriation."
Anang Manjari had recently hogged the headlines for allegedly keeping the scion of Gajapati dynasty under house arrest leading to his deteriorating health. She allegedly did not allow anybody, including the relatives of the former parliamentarian, to meet him.
In a letter to the chief minister, the daughter of the king, Kalyani Devi, who is currently staying in Chennai, had urged him to inquire into the property transactions of the royal family for the past 35 years.
Local leaders cutting across party lines had also demanded the arrest of the manager.