A 39-year-old police constable has been arrested on charges of killing his wife, a traffic police constable, in state capital Bhubaneswar and burying her body in the Keonjhar forests 200km away, the Odisha police said on Wednesday.
Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said Deepak Rout was suspected to have killed his wife following disputes over financial matters, including Subhamitra Sahu’s insistence that he foot the bill for a grand wedding also led to frequent quarrels.
Rout, who worked in the accounts department of Police Sewa Bhawan, married Subhamitra, a traffic constable, in July 2024. But at the time, they had opted for a low-key court marriage, police said.
“Rout kept on delaying on Subhamitra’s demand for ₹20 lakh for the wedding. Exasperated over her persistence, he likely strangulated her,” Singh said.
Besides, Singh said, Rout had taken a ₹1 crore insurance policy in Subhamitra’s name, which may also have been a motive for murder to collect the money.
“The investigation is still ongoing, and further details will be disclosed after its completion,” he said, adding that the police would also look into the circumstances around the death of Rout’s first wife a few years ago. His first wife, who also had a ₹1 crore insurance policy, was reported to have died in a road accident at the time. Rout was the beneficiary of the insurance payout.
{{/usCountry}}“The investigation is still ongoing, and further details will be disclosed after its completion,” he said, adding that the police would also look into the circumstances around the death of Rout’s first wife a few years ago. His first wife, who also had a ₹1 crore insurance policy, was reported to have died in a road accident at the time. Rout was the beneficiary of the insurance payout.
{{/usCountry}}The Bhubaneswar police began investigating the case after Subhamitra Sahu went missing on September 6. Her father reported her missing at the Capital police station the following day after she remained untraced.
As investigators started looking into her life, Rout emerged as the prime suspect. Also, they were last seen together.
Police said Rout finally broke down during interrogation and allegedly told investigators that he strangled Shubhamitra in Bhubaneswar. Rout allegedly told the police that he picked up Subhamitra in his Honda City car, strangled her between 2-3pm in Unit-6 area of Bhubaneswar and drove with her body to Keonjhar, where he buried her in the Ghatagaon area of the dense forest.