Bhubaneswar: Police investigating the alleged rape of a woman at gunpoint in Nayapalli area of Bhubaneswar have seized six mobile phones, a toy gun and other articles allegedly linked to the accused, Sreedhar Panda.

The latest recovery was made during further investigation of Nayapalli Police Station Case No. 801, registered on October 1, 2026. The case, initially registered under Sections 64(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25/27 of the Arms Act, has now been altered to include Sections 64(1), 332(b) and 351(3) of the BNS.

According to police, after the alleged incident, Panda had left his mother and some belongings at the house of a distant relative in Jagatsinghpur. On October 5, the relative, accompanied by Panda’s mother, appeared at Nayapalli Police Station and handed over the articles that had allegedly been kept by the accused in his bag.

Police seized the following items under a proper seizure list:

One sky-blue half T-shirt
One red towel
Six mobile phones
One silver-and-black coloured toy gun

The recovery of the toy gun is significant as the accused allegedly used a firearm to threaten the woman during the incident. Police have been investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged use of the weapon during the crime.

The accused, identified as Sreedhar Panda, 24, of Jagannath Prasad area in Ganjam district, was allegedly staying at Chakeisiani under Mancheswar police limits in Bhubaneswar.

According to the complaint, Panda allegedly entered the rented accommodation of a woman in Nayapalli during the night of September 30 and sexually assaulted her while threatening her with what she believed to be a gun. The woman, who works as an engineer in a private company, was reportedly alone at the time.

Following the incident, Commissionerate Police formed multiple teams to trace the accused. Investigators reportedly examined footage from around 300 CCTV cameras and analysed technical data to identify and track him.

Police later traced Panda to the Chandaka area of Bhubaneswar. During an attempt to arrest him on October 3, he allegedly attacked a police officer with a screwdriver, following which police fired two rounds in self-defence. Panda sustained a bullet injury to his right leg and was subsequently taken to a hospital.

Police said Panda had previously been booked in criminal cases registered at Khandagiri and Tamando police stations in Bhubaneswar.

The investigation into the Nayapalli case is continuing, and police said further legal action will be taken in accordance with law.