Bhubaneswar, Sept. 30 -- A major development has emerged in the death case of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, with the Paralakhemundi police of Gajapati district on Wednesday arresting former cook Manmath Kumbha, who has been named as one of the accused in the case.

Kumbha was reportedly working as a cook at the time of Soumya Ranjan's death. His arrest comes after a prolonged period during which police and the Crime Branch had been attempting to trace him.

Soumya Ranjan's father, Abhiram Mohapatra, had filed a case in court alleging that his son's death was part of a pre-planned murder. The complaint named the former ACF's wife, Bidyabharati Panda, former DFO Sangram Keshari Behera and cook Manmath Kumbh...