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Mahanti still on the run

CUTTACK: For the second day on Saturday, the suspended DGP-rank officer B.B. Mahanti remained elusive even as the Cuttack police claim they have raided several places in search of the senior IPS officer against whom a Rajasthan court has issued NBW in connection with a criminal case.

Mahanti, charged with helping his son jump parole from a Jaipur jail, is wanted by the Rajasthan police. Entrusted with the task of executing the NBW, the Cuttack police raided several places in the city and Bhubaneswar and its adjoining areas, including Mahanti’s office, residence and some hospitals in the last 24 hours.

“We have formed five police teams and raided several possible locations, including hospitals as he is reportedly sick, in search of the senior officer. But there has been no trace or any clue about his whereabouts,” said district Superintendent of Police S.K. Priyadarshi.

While more than 4,000 NBWs were still pending execution by the district police, some for more than three years, the high-profile NBW against a senior IPS officer issued by an outside court was now giving sleepless nights to the city police.

“We cannot treat the present NBW against the DGP like any other pending warrants. Top priority is being accorded to this NBW and it will be executed soon,” said a senior district police official. He, however, added that it was easy to execute a NBW against a criminal than a police officer because the information about the hideouts of criminals comes readily from their rivals.

Meanwhile, rumours were agog that the beleaguered DGP left for Kolkata by road on Friday evening from where he would go to Jaipur on Monday by air. He was likely to approach the Jaipur Bench of Rajasthan High Court to get the NBW either quashed or put on hold.

In case, his plea was not granted, he might surrender before the court which issued the NBW in order to avoid humiliation of being arrested by the Orissa police, say some lawyers and police officers here.

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