By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Heads started rolling over the murder of cameraman Manas Swain with Police arrested former Technical Director of Information and Public Relations Department, Niranjan Sethi.
Web Portal Sampoorna TV and magazine, owner and cameraman Manas Swain murder accused, Sharmistha Rout, had successfully, registered her organisation to Government advertisement showing her magazine’s circulation around 15,000.
The Bhadrak Police have arrested two persons in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Bhubaneswar-based web channel cameraman Swain. The accused have been identified as Sethi and Ranjan Nayak alias Raj. Sethi, was an officer of the Odisha Information Service (OIS) retired as the Director (Technical) of the Information and Public Relation Department in February, this year while Raj is the owner of a shop named Raj Communication located at Khandagiri.
The accused have been booked under under Sections 363/364/302/465/471/201/34 of the Indian Penal Code and forwarded to the court. The other three arrested in this case are Bibek Nayak and Bhagyadhar Nayak of Khandagiri, and Krushna Chandra Nayak. Sarmista had allegedly hired them under the directions of Sethi to eliminate Swain and dispose his body
Meanwhile, Photo poses with Ministers Dibya Shankar Mishra and Pratap Jena gone viral, now a new photo emerges, this time with BJD’s high profile Aul MLA Pratap Deb. As Sharmistha hails from Aul area of Kendrapara, this photo bears greater significance.
This photo was taken at Aul MLA Pratap Deb’s official residence in Forest Park in Bhubaneswar. These photo poses speaks a lot of volume about Rout’s close association with powerful BJD Ministers and MLA. Sources said, despite lacking basic criteria for getting empanelment of her web portal with State’s Information and Public Relations Department, as many as 3 senior BJD MLAs and Ministers recommended to the Department for empanelment.
Sarmishta is believed to be the mastermind behind the murder case. Chandbali police had raided Sharmistha’s house in Aul area in Kendrapara district. Mother of the deceased, Jamuna Swain on Sunday sought CM Naveen Patnaik’s help for justice in the case.
Earlier, 2 photos was a mega hit in social media , in which, Odisha Minister Capt Dibya Mishra, under scanner for his role in Teacher Mamita Meher murder case in Kalahandi-Balangir, was seen charting with web portal chief Sharmistha Rout, accused in camera man murder case and in another photo, see was seen with another Minister Pratap Jena, under scanner for Mahanga double murder case. Sharmistha Rout’s photo poses with high profile people needs investigation, added a senior Journalist.
It is being suspected that Swain was in possession of some controversial videos and photos, which could have landed her in trouble. As per our preliminary investigation, Swain was in possession of some controversial videos and photos related to Rout which she wanted him to hand over to her. She needed the CPU chip, which is why she hatched the plan. The chip is now in her possession. Manas murder cases remind that of teacher Mamita Meher murder case.
Manas, a resident of Godipokhari village in Ranpur area of Nayagarh, worked as a cameraman in a Bhubaneswar-based web portal, Sampoorna, run by one Sharmistha Rout.
On February 7, Manas had gone to shoot a wedding in Chandbali area of Bhadrak but went missing under mysterious circumstances. On March 12, the Chandbali police, with help of a team of cops from Ranpur, recovered the body of Manas from Badhipatna hills in Rajsunakhala area of Nayagarh.
Police said a total of six accused have been arrested in connection with the case and there are evidences against all of them. Three accused are absconding. However, the prime accused in the murder, web portal operator Sharmistha, is still to be traced. Sharmistha is said to have gone into hiding after the murder of Manas.
In both murder cases, memory chip was main reason behind killing. In Similar way, Mamita Meher’s dead body was recovered from a playground and killing reason was the deceased teacher had a memory chips containing some controversial contents.
Mamita Meher, a resident of Turekela Block in Bolangir district who was a teacher at an English medium school in Mahaling of Kalahandi district, went missing on October 8, 2021. A few days later, on October 19, her decomposed body was exhumed from an under-construction stadium at Mahaling.
Bolangir police had already filed the charge sheet in the controversial murder case at the Bangomunda JMFC court in Bolangir district.
The Sindhekala police which had investigated the case, had mentioned two names–Gobinda Sahu, the prime accused in the murder case and his driver Radhe who is the co-accused– in the charge sheet filed under IPC Sections 302, 201 and 120 (B).
