BHUBANESWAR: In a major breakthrough related to cameraman Manas Swain’s murder, the police on Monday arrested the prime accused in the case Sarmistha Rout and her associate Jhuna Bhoi from Nalanga area in Bhadrak district.
Crime Branch and Bhadrak Police officers nabbed the two accused after they managed to evade arrest for over 45 days.
“Sarmistha Rout and Jhuna Bhoi will be produced in JMFC Court in Chandbali on Monday. We will apply in the court for a 10-day police remand of the seven accused arrested in connection with the case,” said Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda.
The Orissa High Court had earlier rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Sarmistha.
Manas had earlier worked as a cameraman with the web-channel of Sarmistha for about six months but he quit his job in January this year after having a fallout with her. Police said initial investigation suggests Manas was murdered as he was in possession of a memory chip having some sensitive content related to a few high profile people.
He had visited Palashpur village in Bhadrak district on February 6 to record videos of a wedding. He was heading towards Digachhia on a two-wheeler with one of his associates and a local on February 7 morning when at least five accused -
Sarmistha, Jhuna, Ranjan Nayak, Bhagyadhar Nayak and Bibek Nayak waylaid him.
Sarmistha asked Manas to hand over the memory chip. When Manas said the memory chip was in Bhubaneswar, she reportedly slapped him. The miscreants then bundled the cameraman into Sarmistha’s car. They brought him to an elderly people’s
shelter home - Dayal Ashram, run by Sarmistha, near Sundarpada area of the Capital City.
They kept him confined on the first floor of the two-storeyed building for the entire day on February 7 and thrashed him black and blue. While the shelter home for the elderly people is running on the ground floor, the first floor of the building is lying vacant.
The accused served Manas dinner on February 7 night and left the building. They found him dead when they returned to the spot the next day.
According to the police, the culprits buried Manas' body near Nayagarh district’s Budhipatna area at about 8 pm on February 8.
So far, the police have arrested eight persons including retired Odisha Information Service (OIS) official Niranjan Sethi for their alleged involvement in the murder.
Niranjan was aware and part of all the planning related to the kidnapping of Manas and disposing of his body after he succumbed, said police.