Manas Swain murder: Sarmistha hid at in-laws place in Kaliapani

Shantilata Bal, mother-in-law of Sarmistha, told mediapersons on Wednesday that the accused had showed up all of a sudden at her home on March 7 night.
Representational Image. (File Photo)
Representational Image. (File Photo)

JAJPUR: As police make frantic efforts to trace Sarmistha Rout, the prime accused in the sensational kidnap and murder of lensman Manas Swain, it has now come to light that she along with an associate stayed at her in-laws place in Kaliapani under Sukinda chromite valley in Jajpur district for three days.
Shantilata Bal, mother-in-law of Sarmistha, told mediapersons on Wednesday that the accused had showed up all of a sudden at her home on March 7 night.

“Someone knocked the doors of my house at Koipasi basti of Kaliapani on the night of March 7 and when I opened, it was Sarmistha with another woman. I was astonished to see her as there was no link between my son and her for the last four years. My son has been living in New Delhi since 2018 after Sarmistha tortured him a lot,” said Shantilata.

She said she had no clue about the kidnap and murder of Manas and her daughter-in-law’s alleged involvement. “I asked her about the visit and Sarmistha informed that she was there for shoot of a documentary film in Kaliapani chromite mines. She introduced her associate as a team member. I took her to my house and provided hospitality,” she said.

Sarmistha and her associate stayed with her till March 10 morning. She then asked Shantilata to accompany them to a relatives’ place in Purusanda village within Agarapada police limits in Bhadrak district. “As the car they had come in had left, we all went to Bhadrak in a rented autorickshaw. We stayed there till March 13 morning. They left for Balasore district and I returned to Koipasi basti the same day,” she added. She maintained that she was ignorant of the whereabouts of Sarmistha.

A couple of days back, a police team from Chandbali reached Koipasi basti in search of Sarmistha. The cops took Shantilata to Kaliapani police station and interrogated her. “I narrated the whole incident. They recorded my statements and released me,” the 65-year-old said. If Sarmistha has committed the crime, she must be handed harsh punishment as per law, she added.

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