Bhubaneswar, May 22: Fresh controversy has surfaced in the investigation into the murder of constable Soumyaranjan Swain at Balianta, with families of four accused alleging that the Commissionerate Police falsely implicated them despite their absence from the crime scene. The family members have approached the Crime Branch and submitted CCTV footage claiming the accused were elsewhere during the incident.

According to the complaint, the brutal assault took place behind an under-construction building on the Hanspal-Nimapada road between 10:30 am and 11:30 am on the day of the incident, during which Soumyaranjan was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people.

However, the families claimed the four accused were not present near the spot at that time. One of them was reportedly at a mobile repair shop in Hanspal, while another had gone to a petrol pump to refuel his bike. Among the remaining two, one was allegedly present at his private office during the incident.

The CCTV footage supporting these claims has been handed over to Crime Branch officials. The investigating agency has seized the footage and sent it to the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL) in Rasulgarh for verification. Officials will examine whether the footage is authentic or has been tampered with.

If the footage establishes that the four accused were not present at the crime scene, the development could raise serious questions over the police investigation.