The Hindu : New Delhi News : Prime suspect in Biranchi Das murder case still at large

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Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008
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New Delhi

Prime suspect in Biranchi Das murder case still at large

Staff Reporter

Special team constituted to expedite probe process

Guilty officials will not be spared, says CP
Naveen terms killing unfortunate

BHUBANESWAR: With gangster Raja Acharya, prime suspect in Biranchi Das murder case, continuing to remain elusive, the Police Commissionerate system on Tuesday came under enormous pressure from the public as well as higher-ups to nab the killer.

A special investigation team headed by Additional Commissioner of Police Y. B. Khurania has been constituted to expedite the probe process. The team would also comprise Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Bhubaneswar Amitabh Thakur and DCP of Cuttack Soumendra Priyadarshi.

Highly placed sources in the Police department said the team had been confined to a few officials to ensure that no leakage of information could take place that could otherwise help the gangster.

Commissioner of Police Binay Behera said some of the police officials were suspected to have links with the gangster. If any official was found guilty, instead of initiating departmental action against him, he would be treated as a criminal, he said.

During the day, telephones of the top police officials kept on ringing and many of them were summoned to brief on the latest investigation in the case. Mr. Behera too reached Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence where he reportedly made a presentation as to how the investigation process was moving.

Mr. Patnaik, who holds the Home portfolio, termed the killing an unfortunate incident and assured police were trying to nab the culprit. “We are doing our best to see that crime is curtailed and law and order prevails here,” Mr. Patnaik said.

At Cuttack, Director-General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda held a high-level meeting of officials of coastal region to review the present crime situation. Inspector General of Police Bijay Sharma was also present there.

Complaint filed

Meanwhile, police after zeroing on the Acharya conducted secret raids at various places but there had been no reports of any headway. The police machinery seemed to have never come under such a pressure situation in capital city in recent times.

Gitanjali Panda, wife of slain coach of child marathoner Buddhia Singh, filed a complaint with Badagarh Police Station here naming Acharya as main culprit. According to the FIR, Ms Panda rushed out from judo training centre after hearing sounds of gunshots on Sunday evening. She heard her husband requesting that, “Raja, please don’t shoot.” Ms. Panda also mentioned that she had seen Raja coming to the centre twice earlier.

In another development, B. K. Mishra, a sub inspector of city’s Mancheswar Police Station, was placed under suspension after strong evidence of his links in smuggling of scraps from railway ward came to the light. Police were also taking smuggling of scrap as another angle in the investigation.

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