Odisha train accident: Woman fakes husband’s death for compensation

A woman who tried to fake her husband’s death in the Balasore train accident for compensation cash announced by the state government and Railways is in trouble. Gitanjali Datta of Maniabanda in Cuttack district had claimed that her husband Bijay Datta had died in the accident on June 2 and had even identified a body as her husband's. However, after verification of documents, it was found that her claim was false.

Though police let her go with a warning, trouble started after her husband filed a complaint at Maniabandha police station. The woman has now gone into hiding fearing arrest, police said.

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Police said the couple has been living separately for the last 13 years. Bijay has demanded stringent action against Gitanjali for attempting to grab public money and also faking his death. Maniabanda police station in-charge Basant Kumar Satpathy said police have asked Gitanjali’s husband to lodge a complaint at Bahanaga police station in Balasore district as the incident took place there.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary PK Jena asked the Railways and Odisha police to take stringent action against people making fake claimants over bodies.

Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the next of kin of the deceased while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh. On the other hand, the Railway Ministry has declared Rs 10 lakh compensation for the families of those who died in the accident.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2. In all, some 288 people died in the accident and more than 1,200 were injured. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time.