Cuttack: The alleged suicide of an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of Police in Odisha has taken a controversial turn after his body was handed over to another woman who claimed to be his second wife and was cremated before his wife reached the hospital.

The deceased has been identified as 47-year-old Biswajit Sethi of Patnagarh in Bolangir district. He was serving as an ASI in the 6th Battalion of the Odisha Armed Police.

According to reports, Biswajit had married Jyotsna Sethi of the Kuarmunda area in Sundargarh district on April 28, 2013. The couple has a teenage daughter. Since 2022, they had been living separately for some reasons.

While Biswajit was staying in a rented house at Pratapnagari under Sadar police limits in Cuttack, Jyotsna was residing in Rourkela, where she works in a private hospital.

Jyotsna said she received a phone call from the battalion authorities around 1.15 pm on Thursday informing her about her husband’s death. She immediately left for Cuttack along with her daughter and other family members. However, upon reaching the SCB Medical College and Hospital, she was shocked to learn that the body had already been handed over to another woman who introduced herself as Biswajit’s wife.

The woman, who reportedly lives in Cuttack, had performed the last rites before Jyotsna could reach the hospital.

Biswajit allegedly consumed pesticide at his rented house in Pratapnagari on Wednesday. He was admitted in a critical condition to the SCB Medical College and Hospital. He died at around 12.15 pm on Thursday. After post mortem, the body was handed over to the woman claiming to be his second wife.

Shockingly, Jyotsna expressed ignorance about Biswajit's second marriage.