BERHAMPUR: The doctor of Berhampur circle jail was detained on Thursday in connection with threatening a key witness in the Pitabas Panda murder case.
Police questioned the doctor, Dr Sushant Panigrahi, for nearly three hours after police visited the jail as part of their probe into allegations that former BJD MLA and Ganjam BJD unit president Bikram Panda and his associate Madan Dalai used the doctor’s phone to contact Lalit Mangaraj, a key witness in the murder case.
Police is examining call and WhatsApp records, along with CCTV footage from the jail, to establish who used the phone, when it was used and whether the alleged conversations were part of an attempt to influence the witness.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said Dr Panigrahi would be questioned again after the technical examination of the seized device. Investigators are also probing how a mobile phone reportedly came to be used inside the jail despite restrictions on such devices.
The allegations surfaced after Mangaraj approached Gosaninuagaon police, claiming that he was contacted on August 28 from the jail doctor’s phone.
Mangaraj stated in his complaint that Bikram and Madan had gone to the doctor’s chamber that day. Dr Panigrahi reportedly made a WhatsApp call to Mangaraj and told him that Bikram wanted to speak to him before handing over the phone.
Mangaraj alleged that Bikram then moved to another room to avoid CCTV surveillance and spoke to him. He claimed that he was initially offered inducements to refrain from giving evidence and was threatened after refusing. Mangaraj also submitted an audio recording of the alleged conversation to police. He also alleged that two unidentified persons approached him on September 1 and threatened him.
Bikram, who is currently out on bail, is likely to be questioned by police. Madan, who remains in jail, will be questioned inside the prison after investigators obtain permission from the magistrate.
The jail’s CCTV footage has been examined and investigation is on, police said.
