Godbhanga truck loot hearing involving Dara Singh concludes

Baripada, Oct 19 (UNI) The hearing of Godbhanga truck loot criminal case involving Dara Singh alias Ravindra Pal Singh and twelve other accomplices concluded in the Sessions Court here yesterday.

Mayurbhanj District and Sessions judge Sribatsa Pradhan had fixed October 30 next as the date for delivering the judgment.

During Wednesday's hearing, Dara Singh's counsels Paravas Das and Asit Otta pointed out that the prosecution did not conduct any ''Test Identification''(TI) Parade either for the accused or for the seized buffaloes.

Again, there were some inconsistencies on the actual number of buffaloes that the truck was carrying, the counsels pointed out. The driver of the truck claimed that the truck was carrying 32 buffaloes, police record said there were 28 buffaloes in the truck.

Investigating Officer (IO) Jogeswar Mohanto, the then Officer-In-Charge of the Mahuldiha Police station, failed to indicate the whereabouts of the seized buffaloes. He had not submitted any documentary evidence in this regard, they argued.

According to the prosecution story, Dara and his accomplices had allegedly set a truck carrying buffaloes on fire at Godabhanga Ghaty on Anandapur-Thakurmunda road in the wee hours of September14, 1998.

They had reportedly blocked the road to stop the truck. They then set the truck ablaze after releasing all the buffaloes. The cattle were being carried from Niali in Cuttack district to a weekly market at Jashipur in Mayurbhanj district.

Sheikh Imam, the cleaner of the truckm was allegedly beaten up by Dara Singh and his associates. He later succumbed to his injuries at the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.

The Godbhanga truck loot case was one among the few other important criminal cases still pending against Dara Singh, sentenced to life in the Graham Staines murder case. Dara Singh was presently lodged in the Baripada Circle jail amid tight security.

UNI XC DP SJC AKP1740