Parida’s gardener Birendra Suna

Bhubaneswar, July 2: The gardener of Somnath Parida, who has been accused of murdering his wife, said he was not aware about the kind of relation the couple shared.

Birendra Suna, who was picked by city police last night for interrogation, told his interrogators that the doctor had denied him entry to his house on June 3, the day he allegedly murdered his wife, Ushashree. He also told the cops that as he worked in the garden for only two hours in the morning, he had no opportunity to overhear conversations between the doctor and his wife, and therefore had no idea what relations they shared.

Parida was arrested on suspicion of killing his 60-year-old wife, chopping up her body into 200-odd pieces and stashing the dismembered parts away in two iron chests with preservatives.

The gardener also denied any knowledge of a stink emanating from the doctor’s house even though he had been visiting the place till June 21. The doctor, he said, used to keep the doors and windows of the house shut.

Suna, 26, said he was on leave on June 2 because of his son’s illness. “When I reached work the next day, the doctor refused me entry saying his wife had gone to Dubai. But on June 4, he rang me at 8am and asked me to resume work. I resumed work on June 5,” said Suna, who hails from Boudh district.

However, from June 5 onwards, Parida gave him the additional job of making chapattis for him and cutting vegetables along with the gardening work. The doctor had arranged for a stove for Suna to use for cooking in the outhouse of the building. Suna said he used to make chapattis, but never cut or cooked any vegetables. He also washed used utensils of Parida every day.

The gardener, who was employed two months ago by Parida on the recommendation of a woman known to the family, used to visit the couple’s house in the morning for two hours (6am to 8am). He was being paid Rs 50 a day for his two-hour job.

Police sources said that during interrogation, Parida had given a false cell phone number of the gardener. “Later, when we went through his mobile call details, we traced Suna’s number,” said a senior police official. The official also said Parida had made several calls, especially to his relatives, on June 3.

Police sources said Parida used to change his domestic help and gardeners at regular intervals. “The low wages paid by the doctor might be one of the reasons behind no one showing interest in working for him,” said a police officer. The police are also likely to question Parida’s domestic help.

Deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh said cops were cross-checking Suna’s statements. They are also waiting for Parida’s lie detection report, which is expected tomorrow.