Odisha minister’s murder: Polygraph test on, no clue to motive

Photo: IANS


The first round of polygraph test, described as lie detector test in popular parlance, of the police ASI Gopal Krishna Das who allegedly shot dead the then health minister Naba Kishore Das on 29 January at Brajarajnagar. However, the police failed to establish the crime motive.

Das was shot at Brajrajnagar town by Assistant Sub-inspector of Police (ASI) Gopal Das on 29 December when the former minister was on his way to attend a programme in the district. Later, he succumbed to bullet injuries at a Bhubaneswar-based private hospital.

The polygraph test was conducted at State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) of Directorate of Forensic Science Services (DFSS) Gandhinagar, Gujarat strictly in conformity with judicial order, the Crime Branch said on Thursday in an official statement.

The Crime Branch, which is probing the high-profile murder case, continues to grope in dark on the motive of the killing even 12 days after the former minister fell to the assassin’s bullets.

The CB had moved the Brajarajnagar Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court seeking permission for the polygraph and Narco analysis test. The accused was accordingly brought to Gujarat for these specialised crime detection tests as his confessional statement in CB custody was often fluctuating and inconsistent in nature.

While the polygraph test will continue tomorrow, the Narco analysis test will also be conducted later after detailed medical examination of the accused.  An eight-member team of Crime Branch headed by an official of Deputy Superintendent (DSP) rank is currently stationed at Gandhi Nagar, said the officials.

The Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) and forensic psychological assessment (FPA) of the accused Gopal has in the meanwhile come to an end Jharsuguda under the stewardship of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), New Delhi,

The special Medical Board consisting of Psychiatry doctors has conducted a detailed study of the mental health of accused at Jharsuguda.   The report is awaited.

Experts from SFSL, Gandhinagar, Gujarat and the CB team recreated the crime scene on 7 February the team also analyzed the physical clues obtained during investigation of the case.

“The financial transactions of the accused and his family matters are being verified and analyzed by a team of CB. The documents and evidence collected by various teams are being scrutinized and analyzed to ascertain the motive of the murder.

The detailed service verification of the accused is also being carried out by a team of CB, headed by a DSP. The Additional Director General of Police, CID-Crime Branch is camping at Gandhinagar. He is monitoring and supervising the investigation of the case”, the statement concluded.