Family AIIMS to stay put at SCB

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has failed to convince the family of Pipili gangrape victim to shift her to AIIMS in New Delhi for better treatment. An official team met the Dalit victim’s brother Amulya Behera at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where the girl is undergoing treatment. But its efforts to convince him to shift her to AIIMS failed. The victim’s brother rejected the proposal raising security concerns. Sources said another official team, led by Puri Tahasildar Abani Patnaik, visited the victim’s Arjungada village but found none at her house.ONE MORE HELD: Meanwhile, one more accused in the case was arrested on Tuesday. Crime Branch (CB) sleuths nabbed Premananda Nayak from the house of one of his relatives in Olakana village under Pipili Police limits. He will be produced in court on Wednesday. Premananda was named in the FIR filed in the police station in this connection on January 9 after the intervention of the Orissa Human Rights Commission (OHRC). The CB had also issued photograph of Premananda along with those of three other accused. With this the total number of accused, arrested in the incident, rose to three. Efforts are on to trace the fourth accused Sukanta Pradhan alias Abua of Paparanga village.  Apart from Premananda, Purna Chandra Swain, arrested on Tuesday, were allegedly involved in the 2008 molestation case following which the victim had reportedly committed suicide. The 19-year-old girl, who is battling for life now, was a key witness to the case. Special teams of CB, which have taken over investigation, began a massive manhunt for nabbing Abua. Three of the four accused have been arrested in three consecutive days. Prasanta Pradhan, the prime accused, was arrested on Sunday and sent to judicial custody for 14 days. The police had nabbed Purna from Pipili area. He was produced before Judicial Magistrate, Pipili, who sent him to two days CB remand for further interrogation. Ruling BJD activists and supporters of Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathi  blocked the Bhubaneshwar-Puri section of the NH alleging that the Opposition was dragging the minister into the case without any basis.