TNI Bureau: In a significant development in senior lawyer Pitabash Panda murder case, police on Wednesday arrested 12 people, including former MLA and BJD’s Ganjam district President Bikram Panda and ex-mayor Siba Shankar Das (Pintu).
Police sources said the other five accused are also from the BJD. They include BJD corporator Malaya Bisoi and party leaders Madan Dalei, Jogendra Rout, Kalia Bhuyan, and Rajendra Sahu.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M told reporters that the murder was the result of political rivalry, personal enmity and financial loss.
There was a deal of Rs 50 lakh to eliminate Pitabash Panda, of which Rs 10 lakh was paid to the sharpshooter who opened fire. Chintu Pradhan was driving the vehicle when Kurupati Bhuyan opened fire,” the SP said.
The SP also said that there was a plan to kill Pitabash Panda between September 10 and 14. For this, Uma Bisoi had called four shooters from Bihar.
During investigation it was found that four unknown persons – Sisupal Kumar Pashwan, Kundan Kumar, Bipin Swain & Simanchal Nayak had done reccee of the usual routes used by Pitabash Panda in Berhampur from September 10 to September 14.
Malaya Bisoyi had informed Sunya Chandra Das that four persons will stay in his house for some hospital related work. However seeing two persons from Bihar, Sunya Chandra Das questioned Malaya Bisoyi again, but Malaya Bisoyi reassured him that, they are only staying there for receiving some medical treatment from hospital.
On September 12 all four persons along with Jogi Rout conducted the reccee of the office chamber of Pitabash Panda and Jogi Rout identified Pitabash Panda.
Uma Bisoyi gave 2 guns for murdering Sri Pitabash Panda for an amount of Rs 10 lakhs. The murder was planned to be done on September 14. However the wife of Sisupal Kumar Pashwan who was pregnant had an abortion suddenly. So they decided to leave to Bihar immediately without doing the murder as per their plan.
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Therefore, the conspiracy could not be carried out between September 10th and 14th.
Uma Bisoyi and Jogi Rout then made another plan based on the instructions of Malaya Bisoyi. Uma Bisoyi convinced two persons from his village Banthapalli for the murder. They were Kurupatti Bhuyan and Chintu Pradhan.
Jogi Rout along with Chintu Pradhan and Kurupatti Bhuyan did the reccee again. They saw the office of Pitabash Panda, his travelling route and his house. On the day of murder Jogi Rout took both Kurupatti Bhuyan and Chintu Pradhan to Alakapuri and gave them a bike with fake number plate, new shirt, Pant and shoes and two pistols.
Finally, they executed it on October 6. Chintu Pradhan rode the bike and Kurupatti Bhuyan was sitting in the pillion. They reached the chak near the house of Pitabash Panda and waited. At 10.01 PM when Pitabash Panda reached the location, Kurupathi Bhuyan got down from the bike and was standing near the bike. He stopped Pitabash Panda and fired at him using one of the pistol.
After firing the shot, they reached Sitalapalli village where both changed their clothes and threw their wearing apparels used in crime including helmet and hid their guns. During investigation all the above mentioned articles were recovered.
Later, they left the bike at a Tea shop near Chandpur chak at NH 16 and took a bus to Bhubaneswar. From Bhubaneswar they went to Puri and stayed in a lodge.
From Puri, Kurupatti Bhuyan went to Koraput – Jeypore, where one Sunil Hota of Jeypore gave active shelter to both Uma Bisoyi and Kurupatti Bhuyan despite knowing well that both were involved in murder.
Both Bikram Panda and Siba Shankar Das alia Pintu Das comspired together to eliminate Pitabash Panda due to Financial, Personal and Political reasons.
Further investigation revealed that all four of them were brought to Berhampur on the instructions of one Uma Shankar Bisoyi by one Jogendra Rout alia Jogi Rout. All four of them stayed in the rented house of one Sunya Chandra Das at Alakapuri on the instructions of Malaya Bisoyi.
After being arrested, Bikram Panda and others were produced before Berhampur Court. They were later remanded to judicial custody for 14 days due to rejection of their bail pleas.
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