Odisha’s missing woman constable killed by husband, also a cop; buried in forest

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said Deepak Rout was suspected to have killed his wife following a dispute over money

Published on: Sep 17, 2025, 18:36:14 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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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.

Investigators are also looking into the circumstances around the death of Deepak Rout’s first wife, who was reported to have died in a road accident (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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.

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.

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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