Bhubaneswar: The local branch office of CBI on Friday declared a doctor to be a fugitive. Siddharth Patra is an accused in the Balasore sex scandal in 1999. CBI officials said Patra had been at large since September 2001 and the court had issued a warrant for his arrest. A reward of Rs 1 lakh would be paid to anyone who can give information about Patra’s whereabouts. In 1999, Prabhasini Kar, a physical training instructor of a women’s college in Balasore, allegedly sexually exploited girls on the pretext of providing them jobs. She had brought them to an apartment in Bhubaneswar in July 1999, where the doctor allegedly raped the girl. Bhubaneswar: The Justice R.K. Patra Commission, appointed to probe the deposit collection scam in Odisha, will conduct the first hearing on August 6. Cheated investors can file affidavits before the commissioneither in person or by post. Naveen Patnaik had announced Justice Patra’s name to head the commission of inquiry after Orissa High Court refused to part with a sitting judge. Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced the construction of 55 more hostels, all 100 seater, for scheduled caste students in 10 coastal districts and Sonepur, using state plan funds. Also, three special courts would be set up in Cuttack, Balasore and Balangir for speedy trial of pending cases of atrocity. Bhubaneswar: Assistant commissioner of police, Banambar Sethy, denied allegations of having physically assaulted a constable of special security battalion (SSB) on Thursday. The constable P.N. Nayak accused Sethy of beating him up when he tried to stop the latter from showing undue favour to a candidate taking part in the physical tests for recruitment to SSB. Sethy defended himself saying he helped the aspirant as he fell ill. Bhadrak: Bhadrak: Four tourists from Bengal, including two women, died in a road accident on NH-5 in Bhadrak district when their vehicle rammed into a stationary truck parked near an eatery. Four others in the vehicle suffered injuries and were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. The deceased are yet to be identified. Jajpur: Seventeen wild elephants entered villages in Godimugura, Siha, Tolarapasi, Ria, Kolhasing of Badachana block. The jumbos came from Dhenkanal forest reserve and nearby areas. A report on the damage to crops and houses was submitted to the district collector for compensation. Bhubaneswar: East Coast Railway will extend Bhubaneswar-Khalikote-Bhubaneswar and Gunupur-Puri passenger trains up to Chhatrapur from August 5. For the former, the timings would be changed between Khalikhote and Khurda Road and for the latter, the schedule would be tweaked between Palasa and Puri.
Monday, 09 February 2026
