Chandbali: Crime Branch (CB) sleuths Thursday visited Chandbali in Bhadrak district and started an investigation into the murder of cameraman Manas Swain.
The CB team comprising DSP Kalpana Sahu, inspector Biswaprakash Rout, sub-inspector Abadhut Barik, assistant subinspector Tanushree Nayak and assistant sub-inspector Asutosh Pradhan met senior police officials at the SP office before leaving for Chandbali police station.
The CB team was briefed about the progress of the probe.
It may be noted here that Swain was kidnapped from Palaspur village under Chandbali police limits February 7 night allegedly by his former employer Sarmistha Rout and her associates.
Manas was taken to Bhubaneswar. A missing case had been registered at Chandbali police station.
Earlier, Mato OIC Budhiram Mohanty was investigating the matter. But later Chandbali IIC Karunakar Rout took up the investigations. The CB team led by Deputy SP Kalpana Sahu met senior police officials at the SP office here.
The team will proceed to Bhubaneswar Friday and subsequently to Nayagarh, sources said.
Another team of the CB is very likely to move outside Odisha to nab Sarmistha, the prime accused in this case.
Police investigation had earlier revealed that Swain was murdered at an old-age home at Sundarpada in Bhubaneswar. His body was disposed of (buried) in Ranpur the next day.
Till date, six persons including former director of state Information and Public Relations (I&PR) department Niranjan Sethi and Sarmistha’s brother Parameswar have been arrested, while the prime accused and her associate Jhuna are still at large.
PNN