Debasish, the husband of deceased Chandrakanti had been on the run along with his parents since the matter came to fore, said sources.
However, police swung into action and nabbed Debasish today.
In her dying statement, Chandrakanti had said, “My father-in-law poured kerosene on me in the house while my mother-in-law and husband restrained me and then they set me on fire.”
Chandrakanti, a mother of two, succumbed to her injuries on Thursday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Chandrakanti of Nayagarh got married to Debasish of Dingara on July 14, 2010. According to sources, a few days after marriage, her in-laws and husband tortured and thrashed her demanding Rs 50,000 and a motorcycle as dowry. The torment continued for years until Chandrakanti was allegedly set on fire by her father-in-law Rabindra Barik, mother-in-law Manorama and husband Debasish on Tuesday.
On the fateful day, though Satpal's elder son and his family were at the first floor and Satpal was sleeping in the ground floor, none of them got a clue of the fire. Satpal's elder grandson jumped into the swimming pool from first floor after the house caught fire, but neither he nor anyone of the family called fire brigade or police.
Surprisingly security guard on duty at Satpal's house also did not notice the fire outbreak.
Satpal’s younger son Gagan Pal Singh (40), daughter-in-law Bhavana Singh (38), granddaughter Sohabi Singh (15), grandson Rubir Singh (8) and house maid Khusi Das (15) died in the mishap which occurred yesterday.
Scientific team and Police Commissioner YB Khurania also visited and studied the spot yesterday.
"We will be able to reach a conclusion only after getting the post mortem report and opinion from experts," said Khurania.
Meanwhile, post-mortem report of the deceased persons mentioned while Gagan Pal Singh and his wife succumbed to fire injuries, his son and the house maid died due to asphyxiation and his daughter died due to both fire injuries and asphyxiation.
The deceased were identified as Satpal’s younger son Gagan Pal Singh (40), daughter-in-law Bhavana Singh (38), granddaughter Sohabi Singh (15) and grandson Rubir Singh (8), and house maid Khusi Das (15).
Satpal Singh's five family members and the domestic help were rescued in critical condition by fire staff from the house. While four of the family and the house maid died on their way to hospital, Satpal's younger brother was admitted in the Capital Hospital with injuries. His condition is stated to be stable.
Deputy officer Ramesh Chandra Majhi said initially neighbours spotted smoke billowing out of Satpal's house and called up the police control room who in turn informed the fire personnel about the incident at around 5.18 am.
Immediately a team of fire personnel reached the spot and started the rescue operation, he informed.
Short circuit is suspected to be the reason behind the mishap. "However, a thorough probe will only find out the exact cause," he added.
According to sources, the impact of the accident was so severe that both the vehicles caught fire immediately. After getting information, fire brigade rushed to the spot and doused the fire, but within that time, the helper stuck inside the truck, had already died.
Chief Fire Officer, Gangadhar Acharya said, “We got information at about 2.15 am that a truck and hywa have collided and caught fire. We rushed two units to the spot immediately and started dousing the fire as quickly as possible. But we came to know later that the helper was trapped inside one of the vehicles and burnt alive.”
Though the identity of the helper is yet to be established, he is said to be a resident of Telimunda village under Deogarh district. The driver of the truck, identified as Nimai Sahu, has sustained serious injuries and admitted to a nearby hospital.
Talking to OTV, Sahu said, “The hywa flashed its high beam head light and I also flashed mine but the vehicle sped towards me and crashed. Fire caught immediately and I got stuck under the steering which is why my hands and legs have been burnt.”
The driver and helper of the hywa have fled the spot after the accident. Dhanupali police reached and started an investigation.
According to sources, she had a quarrel with her family members yesterday for going outside the house without informing anyone of the family.
The screams of the girl had been heard yesterday evening when none of her family members were present in the house. Later her burnt body was discovered in the house.
Police along with forensic team reached the spot and have initiated an investigation on the case.
Besides, two others also had sustained serious burn injuries.
The court after taking statements from 35 witnesses and evidences into account pronounced the judgement.
The two accused were later sent to Rourkela Special Jail.
According to sources the victims have been identified as two sons - one five-year old and the other two and half years old - and a one and half year old daughter of Eto Oram of the village.
According to sources, a major fire broke out on Friday night when the trio was playing in the shed meant for livestock near their house. The intensity of the fire was so high that they were unable to get out of the place and were burnt alive inside the shed, the source added.
The exact reason behind the outbreak of fire is unknown, sources said adding that the parents of the child were not present at home during the mishap.
On being informed about the incident, Bisra police rushed to spot and started investigation into the matter.
The deceased have been identified as Rahul Munda and Sagar Munda, aged three-years-old.
According to reports, the two kids were playing outside their house in absence of their parents who had gone to work in the fields when suddenly a fire caught a heap of straw kept near their house.
It is believed that fearing the fire, the kids might have entered the pigsty situated nearby.
However, the flames intensified and somehow caught the pig house burning both the brothers to death. The family members of the kids and other locals rushed to the spot after noticing the flames and recovered the kids.
Later, the kids were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). However, the doctors declared them brought dead.
In the incident, that took place on Thursday evening, the doctor set fire to the victims' house after pouring spirit on the furniture and curtains.
According to the police, the motive behind the heinous act was the dead woman's relationship with the doctor's husband.
The postmortems were conducted on Friday and the bodies were handed over to the deceased woman's brother. Thereafter, their last rites were also performed.
The police on Friday arrested all the three accused -- Sudeep, a doctor by profession, his mother and his wife Seema who is also a doctor -- on the basis of a complaint filed by Radha, the deceased's sister, and registered a case under section 302, 120B and other relevant sections.
The three accused were produced in court, where the two women were taken into judicial custody while the doctor was taken on remand, the police officers told IANS.
Police also confirmed that the deceased, Deepa Gurjar, was working as a receptionist in Sudeep Gupta's hospital, where the two developed a relationship. Sudeep gifted her a well-furnished villa where Deepa and her son were residing.
Gupta's wife, Seema was initially unaware of these developments. However, later when she came to know about it, she along with her mother-in-law went to Gurjar's home and started hurling abuses on her. Gurjar called her brother and Gupta from her house and informed them that Seema Gupta was creating a scene outside her house.
Seema Gupta, meanwhile locked the house door, poured spirit on furniture and curtains and set off a fire inside.
According to the police, Gurjar had been hired at their hospital some four years back as a receptionist.
As per initial reports, the deceased youth has been identified as Rajkishore Pradhan (25) of the village.
It is being alleged that some of his relatives tied him to a pole, thrashed him and later set himself afire after pouring petrol over his body.
While the reason behind the alleged murder is yet to be established, a team of police rushed to the spot to carry out a probe. The body of the victim has reportedly been sent for an autopsy.
The police is yet to reveal details of the gruesome murder. A case has been registered in this regard and further investigation is underway.
(Story will be updated with police version soon).