Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen) April 30: Authorities have successfully apprehended two armed individuals who caused disruption at the renowned Nandankanan Zoo on Monday evening.
The suspects, identified as Prasant Kumar Pahada Singh and Gobind Sahu from Darudenga village, were captured on CCTV cameras installed within the zoo premises, documenting their entire sequence of actions.
According to the CCTV footage, the two individuals forcefully entered the office of the Deputy Director of Nandankanan Zoological Park wielding weapons, creating a state of fear and chaos, particularly in the chambers of Assistant Conservator of Forest (Social Media), Assistant Conservator of Forest (Visitor Management), and the office corridor.
Prasant Kumar and Gobind proceeded to physically assault several individuals, including Dr. Rajesh Mahapatra, a biologist, Dr. Sudipta Kumar Panda, Assistant Conservator of Forest (Social Behavior Group), Dr. Rashmi Ranjan Swoin, Assistant Conservator of Forest (Social Media), and Ashuthosh Campa, an audit officer in the Finance and Expenditure Department of the Government of Odisha.
Furthermore, they caused extensive damage to office equipment, including computers, laptops, printers, TVs, and furniture. The audit officer’s laptop and mobile phones were also destroyed. Following this, the perpetrators attempted to forcibly enter the Zoo Hospital by damaging its front door.
The motive behind their disruptive behavior remains unknown, and investigations are ongoing to ascertain further details surrounding the incident.
