The Odisha crime branch police on Wednesday arrested yet another person in connection with the Astaranga quadruple murder case of September 21 in Puri district.
The police had earlier arrested a Muslim couple from near the Bangladesh border for brutally killing a retired education officer Dinabandhu Mallick, his wife Nirmala and their two minor daughters aged 10 and four. Zeroing in on Dinabandhu’s co-brother Fakir Mallick, the police arrested the latter from Nayagarh district on charges of murder, criminal conspiracy and intimidation and forwarded him to court on the day.
Fakir was a suspect and under police scanner ever since the murder took place as he was the one who introduced the Muslim couple Rahim Khan and his wife Ayesha Begum from Chhattisgarh to Dinabandhu.
Meanwhile, the crime branch police also on the day took the arrested couple for further remand of six days for custodial interrogation. Arrested on October 9, the couple were on police remand for last four days. On the basis of their interrogation, the police have recovered the weapons of offence — two swords -- from the house of Mallick.
Acquainted with the family, the couple had arrived at Mallick’s place late on September 21 evening and after dinner had stayed back in their house. However, late after midnight, the couple killed the Mallicks slitting their throats with the knives they had brought with them and decamped with some valuables from the house.
