Another accused held in Graham Staines murder case in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: More than 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.

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.

While the main accused Dara Singh and his accomplice Mahendra Hembram were sentenced to life imprisonment, 11 others were acquitted by a court.