23-year-old man found dead in Odisha police custody, suicide suspected: Police

A 23-year-old man, who was arrested for the alleged abduction of a minor girl, was found dead inside the toilet of a police station in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.

Published on: Apr 29, 2026, 22:27:01 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A 23-year-old man, who was arrested for the alleged abduction of a minor girl, was found dead inside the toilet of a police station in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.

Nabarangpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Madkar Sandeep Sampat said prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide. “I have asked the addl SP to investigate the death and submit a report within 24 hours. We also called the family before sending the body for postmortem,” said the SP.

The man was arrested on Tuesday over allegations of abducting and assaulting a minor girl. Police said he was detained on Monday and was scheduled to be produced in court on Wednesday.

His body was later sent to the Nabarangpur District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem.

Family members, however, alleged that the deceased was beaten to death in custody and that the incident was falsely presented as suicide. They accused the police of sending the body for autopsy before informing them.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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