Keonjhar, Odisha — The chilling double life of Odisha police constable Deepak Kumar Rout (39) came to light following his arrest in the murder of his second wife, traffic constable Subhamitra Sahoo (25). Her body was exhumed from a pit disguised as a toilet on a plot of land in Keonjhar on Wednesday.
Alongside Rout, two others were arrested:
His relative, Binod Bihari Bhuyan (28)
Landowner Sambhunath Mohanta, who allegedly accepted Rs5,000 to allow burial of the body on his land. Mohanta misled a machine operator into digging the pit for a toilet.
The case reopened old wounds about Rout’s first wife, Aparna Priyadarshini, a revenue inspector who died in a road accident in March 2022. Aparna’s family filed a complaint in Dhenkanal, alleging foul play. They claimed Rout subjected Aparna to torture, forced her to take loans exceeding Rs10 lakh, and collected over Rs1 crore in insurance after her death.
Subhamitra, married to Rout in July, was also insured for Rs1 crore. According to DCP Jagmohan Meena, Rout planned the murder of Subhamitra on August 26 after repeated disputes over money.
