Teliamura, Nov 17, 2024, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Teliamura, Nov 14: A routine trip to collect wild vegetables and potatoes in the Atharamura Range jungle turned tragic for Swapna Debbarma, who was shot while foraging with two other women on Thursday, last. Swapna's companions, Namita Debbarma and Shukla Rani Debbarma, rushed Swapna to Mungiakami hospital for treatment.  

Following the incident, Mungiakami Police on Sunday detained a suspect, Sandhiram Debbarma, who later confessed to his involvement during iinterrogation. Police stated that during interrogation, Sandhiram revealed that he practices jhum cultivation in the area where Swapna had gone to collect vegetables. Sandhiram claimed that Swapna had taken crops from his cultivation, which he considered theft.

The accused further stated that this was not the first time he had suffered losses in agriculture due to such incidents. Frustrated and compelled by repeated thefts, Sandhiram resorted to violence, using a country-made firearm to shoot Swapna, Police added.

In the presence of DCM, Anjan Das and two independent witnesses, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Pannalal Sen, along with the Mungiakami Police staff, took the accused to the crime scene. There, Sandhiram demonstrated how the crime was committed and revealed the weapon—a country-made firearm—used in the shooting.