Rourkela murder: Rape accused burnt victim’s head; minor nephew played accomplice

ROURKELA/BHUBANESWAR: The gruesome murderof the 18-year-old girl whose dismembered body parts were found in Rourkela was not just horrifying, it was executed in cold blood as main accused Kunu Kisan, a mason by profession, came fully prepared to destroy evidence and derail the investigation.

He burnt the victim’s severed head before disposing it of in a swamp.

The 30-year-old prime accused watched several crime shows, including the popular series Crime Patrol, revolving around kidnapping and murder, to learn the tricks before killing the girl whom he had allegedly raped and impregnated over a year back.

Shocking details emerged from initial investigation of the case which has sent shockwaves across the state. After the murder, Kisan chopped the victim’s hands and legs to prevent police from getting fingerprints on the body. He severed her head, set it on fire and disposed it off in a swampy area near Rourkela to allow decomposition to reduce scope of her identification. In all this chilling act of murder, a minor nephew of Kisan played the perfect accomplice.

The probe revealed the accused had been persuading the victim to give a favourable statement in the court ever since he walked out on bail last year in December.

Victim got pregnant, underwent abortion

The victim was a native of Lahandabud village in Sundargarh district and had visited her uncle’s place in Lefripara block last year when he met Kisan who is a native of the same area. After she returned to her village, Kisan befriended and raped her. The girl even got pregnant and had to undergo abortion. After the incident, she shifted to her aunt’s place in Jharsuguda and worked at a beauty parlour at Beheramal, police sources said.

Meanwhile, Kisan was arrested in connection with the case in August last year but was granted interim bail three months later on December 4. Once out on bail, he remained in contact with the girl over the phone and on many instances, visited Jharsuguda to meet her.

“The accused even attempted to lure the girl on the promise of marriage but her uncle was against showing any leniency in the court,” said the police sources. In the meantime, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him and the accused reportedly filed an application in court to quash the NBW but his plea was rejected and he was ordered to surrender before police.

Plan to eliminate girl

Since the girl’s uncle was against withdrawal of the case and with no legal option was available, Kisan was certain that he would be convicted and hatched the conspiracy to eliminate her. As part of the plan, he reportedly went to Beheramal on December 7 morning and picked up the victim.

After the girl’s family lodged a missing person complaint with Jharsuguda Town police on December 7, cops acted swiftly and examined CCTV footage of Beheramal and other nearby areas. The footage showed the victim comfortably accompanying the accused on the motorcycle. Initially, the police did not rule out the possibility that she had eloped.

However, when the cops met her family and came to know that she was raped a year back and the accused was trying to influence her to give a favourable statement in the court, police intensified the probe and traced the accused’s travel route using CCTV footage and technical evidence.

“It was a very challenging case as the accused was wearing a full face helmet and had even affixed a fake number plate on the motorcycle,” said Jharsuguda SP Smit Parmar.

Investigation by Jharsuguda police led to the revelation that she was last seen riding pillion in the motor bike with two persons. After travelling about 30 km on the bike towards Sundargarh district, one of them got down. The accused and the victim took some other vehicle to reach Rourkela where he was working at a TV showroom. That is where the juvenile nephew who had arranged kerosene and bags to be used in the crime joined them, police said.

Chilling details of the crime

On the intervening night of December 7 and 8, Kisan and the victim took the juvenile along and the trio left towards a secluded spot about 100 metre of the NH 143 under Lathikata police limits. Investigation revealed while the juvenile stood guard at a distance, Kisan talking friendly with the victim slit her throat from behind, dismembered her body into half a dozen pieces and burnt her face with kerosene. He then packed the body parts into plastic cement bags. The SP said some articles of the victim and bloodstains were found from the crime spot.

Subsequently, the two disposed the severed head at the morass of effluent discharged from the Rourkela Steel Plant near Tarkera with the hope that nobody would visit the spot. Other body parts including the torso were thrown in Brahmani river while clothes, footwear and other articles were thrown in the nearby bushes.

Jharsuguda SP Parmar said the bike was hidden at Bamra in Sambalpur district from where it was recovered later.

IG (Northern Range) Himanshu Lal said meticulous investigation under the leadership of Jharsuguda SP, the blind case was cracked and latest crime detection technology including AI helped the probe.

Parmar said police have sufficient forensic and other material evidence to prove Kisan and his nephew were involved in the crime. “Further investigation into the matter is continuing and we have requested the court for three-day remand of Kisan,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kisan was forwarded to the court at Jharsuguda under sections 140(1)/103(1)/238(a)/61(2)(a) of BNS, while the juvenile was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

A murder most foul

Before killing the girl, accused watched several crime shows revolving around kidnapping and murder

Kisan slit her throat from behind, dismembered her body into half a dozen pieces and burnt her face

He then packed the body parts into plastic cement bags

With help of his nephew, Kisan disposed of the severed head at the morass of effluent discharged from RSP

Other body parts including the torso were thrown in Brahmani river