Ex-judge, family hire killers to do away with woman

Samir Rays son had married Mini Pradhan, a domestic help, against his parents wish

Cuttack Police have arrested two of the five “contract” killers allegedly hired by a former district judge and his family to kill a 23-year-old woman. The miscreants tied the hands and legs of Mini Pradhan and threw her into the Mahanadi River from a barrage near Cuttack last week. 

She, however, had a miraculous escape as she landed on the iron platform of the barrage instead of the river waters; she’s now struggling for life at Sriram Chandra Bhanja (SCB) medical college and hospital in Cuttack.

Mini, a motherless girl originally hailing from coastal Nayagarh district was staying with her aunt at a slum area in Bhubaneswar. In 2007, she joined the retired judge Samir Ray at his bungalow in Lumbini Vihar in Bhubaneswar as a domestic help.

Subsequently, she developed a relationship with Ray’s son Satyabrata, also a lawyer. According to the statement given by Mini to the police, the judge’s son married her and both were living as husband and wife at Lumbini Vihar. Trouble started when the Ray’s family fixed Satyabrata’s marriage with another girl which was strongly resisted by Mini. The family then allegedly hired contract killers for Rs 3.5 lakh, who kidnapped the young woman from the former judge’s residence in order to eliminate her.

Hunt on

Apart from arresting Bhubaneswar-based ‘contract’ killers—Prasanta Sahu (26) and Bijon Mallick (27) on Tuesday—police also recovered Rs 1.60 lakh given to them by the former judge’s family. The car in which Mini was kidnapped has also been seized. Hunt is on to nab the other three miscreants involved in the case.

The former judge, his son and wife Geetikia have been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Prasanta Das, an electrician working for the Rays, too has been arrested. He was allegedly involved in arranging the miscreants for the Rays.

The incident has triggered sensation across the state. Several women’s organisations have demanded stringent action against the culprits. The State Commission for Women too has taken up the case for investigation.