BHUBANESWAR/ MALKANGIRI: The mysterious death of Malkangiri Collector Manish Agarwal’s personal assistant Deba Narayan Panda has taken a new turn with police registering a murder case against him and three other staff. The cases has been registered on the direction of the court of the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Malkangiri.
Panda had gone missing on December 27 last year and a day later, his body was fished out from Satiguda Dam. The deceased’s family members had alleged that he was murdered but Malkangiri Police registered a case of unnatural death and hinted that it was possibly a suicide.
The 29-page FIR, registered on Friday, names Agarwal, his steno Prakash Swain and staff V. Venu and Bhagban Panigrahi. All of them have been booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record), 302 (murder), 506 (intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code.
“After registering the case following the SDJM court’s direction, a five-member SIT team with a Deputy SP as the investigating officer has been formed to probe the case,” Malkangiri SP Rishikesh Dnyandeo Khilari told TNIE. An Additional SP is supervising the investigation, he added.
Panda had left his office chamber after 1 pm on December 27, but did not reach home. When he did not return till night, his family members tried to contact him but his mobile was unreachable. They registered a missing complaint at Malkangiri police station. Police found Deba’s motorcycle, shoes and helmet at the bridge of Satiguda Dam and pressed fire fighters to search for him. During the search operation, his body was recovered from the dam reservoir.
Panda’s wife Banaja approached the court and lodged a petition alleging her husband was murdered. Subsequently, the court directed the police to register a murder case.Talking over the phone from Malkangiri, Banaja told TNIE that she had visited Malkangiri police station earlier in September to lodge a complaint against the Collector and his three staff but they asked her to submit more evidence.
“My husband had gone to the office and then went missing. I was disappointed with the tardy police investigation. There has been no development in last 10 months which is why I approached the SDJM court on November 2,” she said. Panda is survived by his wife, daughter and a son.