Graham Staines murder case: another accused arrested after 20 years

Bhubaneswar: Over 20 years after Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt to death by a mob in Odisha, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested another absconding accused in the case on Saturday.

Budhhadeb Nayak (45), a key associate of prime accused Dara Singh, has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the killing.

Nayak was nabbed from his residence at Nischitapur village under Thakurmunda police limits in Mayurbhanj district late on Thursday night. The CBI had conducted raid at his house after getting information about his presence, said sources.

Staines and his two sons Philip and Timothy were burnt to death January 22, 1999, while they were sleeping in their station wagon in front of a church at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district.

A total of 18 people, including Dara Singh, were arrested for their involvement in the dreaded crime. However,  Budhhadeb, who was most wanted in the case, was absconding following the incident.

In 2003, a designated CBI court here had sentenced Dara Singh to death and 12 others to life. However, the Orissa High Court commuted Singh’s death sentence to life imprisonment in 2005.

In 2011, the Supreme Court upheld Orissa high court’s life imprisonment to Singh and his accomplice Mahendra Hembram .

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