Tragic Case of Blackmail and Suicide: Odisha College Student's Death

A 19-year-old college student in Odisha was found dead by suicide, refuting earlier claims of honour killing. Her death followed blackmail from an ex-boyfriend who threatened to leak personal photos. The police confirmed suicide by self-immolation after reviewing evidence and postmortem reports.

The Odisha Police have confirmed that a 19-year-old female college student's tragic death was by suicide, not honour killing as initially suspected. The incident occurred in Kendrapara district on August 6.

The student's ex-boyfriend's family alleged an honour killing. However, the police investigation found that the girl had been blackmailed by her former lover, Pramod Behera, who threatened to release her intimate photographs. This led her to self-immolate as per the detailed postmortem report revealing 95% burn injuries.

SP Siddharth Kataria noted there were no external injuries or poison traces, and detailed forensic examination was conducted. The girl's father accused the local police of failing to act on a prior FIR reporting blackmail. Consequently, an officer was transferred amid continuing investigation into how she acquired the inflammable substance.