Insight Bureau: Former Director of the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department, Niranjan Sethi has been arrested in connection with his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Cameraman Manas Swain.
Another accused Ranjan Nayak has also been arrested in this connection. Five persons including two contract killers had been arrested so far.
Sharmistha, the owner of a web portal (Sampurna News) and the employer of cameraman Manas Swain, the mastermind behind the murder of Swain remained untraceable. The little known ‘Sampurna’ Odia Fortnightly Newspaper was empaneled by the I&PR on February 28, 2022 – the day Niranjan Sethi had retired from the service.
Reports suggest that Manas was taken to Bhubaneswar where he died during torture/interrogation. Sharmistha and her associated later buried his body near Badhipatana Hills at Raja Sunakhala in Nayagarh district.
During interrogation one of the accused Bhagan Bhagyadhar Nayak led the police team to the spot where the accused persons buried the dead body of deceased and the dead body was disinterred in presence of Executive Magistrate, SO DFSL Khordha, family members of deceased & other local witnesses with due procedure.
The abduction and murder took place allegedly for a memory chip owned by Manas Swain. However, it’s not immediately known what was inside the chip that led to such a heinous crime by these influential and reputed people.
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