Bhubaneswar: A POCSO court here on Monday allowed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Odisha Crime Branch to take the accused arrested in connection with the kidnap and murder of five-year-old Nayagarh girl ‘Pari’ on a three-day remand from tomorrow.
The accused, who was reportedly presented as a major before the court by the SIT today, however, pleaded not guilty and said, "I am innocent and have not done anything wrong. Please save me."
Besides, the sister of the accused today alleged that her brother was physically tortured and forced to confess to the crime which he had not committed. "Save him from the police. He is not involved in the crime," she said.
Surprisingly, family members of the victim alleged that the prime accused is Babuli Nayak. "The main accused is Babuli Nayak, his son and others. As the Minister (Arun Sahoo) is shielding the accused, action should also be taken against him," alleged Pari's mother Saudamini Sahoo.
Earlier today, SIT chief Arun Bothra said that sufficient evidence against the accused. "After interrogating him multiple times in the last ten days, we got vital evidence, on the basis of which we have arrested him. I would like to confirm the fact that this man is the prime accused. Any of his associates’ involvement in the case is still under investigation," Bothra said.
He further said that sexual assault was the main reason behind the crime. "As of now, we have completed two stages of the investigation–case detection and arrest. But, the investigation is not yet over. We will continue our investigation and submit a charge-sheet in the court accordingly once the probe gets completed. Then the trial will begin in the court,” the officer added.