Paralakhemundi (Gajapati): Following rejection of his bail plea by the District and Sessions Court, former Gajapati Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Keshari Behera, an accused in the high-profile death case of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, was sent to jail on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, Behera surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Paralakhemundi through his counsel. The SDJM court rejected his bail application, following which he moved the District and Sessions Court. However, his plea was turned down there as well.

Notably, the Orissa High Court had earlier granted Behera an additional two weeks to surrender before the lower court.

After serving as Gajapati DFO, Behera was posted as Principal of the Forest Ranger College in Anugola from January 2023 to April 2026. He was later appointed as Director of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) in May this year.

The case relates to the death of ACF Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, who was found critically injured with severe burn injuries at his official residence in Paralakhemundi on July 12, 2021. He was initially rushed to a hospital and later shifted to a private medical facility in Cuttack, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.

On July 14, 2021, the deceased officer’s family filed a complaint alleging murder. The complaint named then DFO Sangram Behera, Soumya Ranjan’s wife Bidya Bharati, and cook Manmath Kumbha as accused.

Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the Odisha government handed over the investigation to the Crime Branch on August 14, 2021.