Bhubaneswar, Mar 31: Police have reopened the investigation into the death of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) student Chinmayee Priyadarshini Sahu and arrested her male friend in connection with the incident.
The arrestee has been identified as Pritiman Dey.
It is worth mentioning that Chinmayee, a BTech student of VSSUT hailing from Madanpur in Kalahandi district, was found dead in the power channel of the Hirakud dam on February 29, 2023.
She had traveled to the institute in Sambalpur’s Burla to receive her degree certificate during the convocation on February 28, 2023.
After the ceremony, she went to the power channel bridge at Hirakud dam in the evening with her friend, Pritiman Dey. Later, she went missing after reportedly falling into the power channel. Her body was found the next day.
Initially, the police had registered a case and questioned Chinmayee’s friends, including Pritiman Dey and Manas Tudu.
The postmortem report confirmed that Chinmayee had drowned, and the diatom test also supported this conclusion. The police had initially ruled it as a case of suicide.
However, Chinmayee’s family suspected foul play and alleged that she was murdered. They approached the Orissa High Court and sought a fresh investigation.
The High Court directed the police to reinvestigate the case, following which the cops arrested Pritiman Dey.
