Puri: In a major breakthrough in rape and murder of a woman in Delang here on August 1, Puri Police today arrested the accused and found his involvement in similar rape and murder of four other girls.
The accused serial killer, Buddhadeba Behera of Bhinnahaja village under Kundeigola police limits, was nabbed from Deogarh after a special team was formed to probe into the case.
Calling Behera a 'mentally retarded sexual predator,' Central Range IG Soumendra Priyadarshi stated that the accused is involved in rape and murder of five girls.
"Behera has killed four other girls in a similar manner by developing friendship with them and later raping and murdering his victims by drugging them,” said Priyadarshi at a press meet.
In 2010, a case was registered against Behera for torturing his wife for dowry. The same year saw him commit his first rape and murder, informed police sources. In 2012, he managed to escape from the station lockup after he was arrested for his involvement in a crime at Deogarh.
In the course of our investigation we have found out that the accused has committed similar crimes in Bairi village, Andhra Pradesh and another at Nuagaon on Odisha-Jharkhand border, added IG.
The incident which proved his undoing was the rape and murder of one Anita Nayak in Delang area in Puri on August 1, 2017. According to police sources, Anita who was from Raikia village of Kandhamal district was trapped in a similar fashion before being raped and killed by Behera. However, Police were finally able to trace him after they found an identity card and two ATM cards near Anita's body.