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Interrogation of Raja Acharya begins

Staff Reporter

He will remain in police custody for five days
He had already uttered the name of an IAS officer

BHUBANESWAR: The city police on Thursday began interrogation of gangster Raja Acharya, prime suspect in Biranchi Das murder case, for making headway into the much-hyped case.

Investigating Officer Pradip Patnaik, Additional Commissioner of Police Y. B Khurania and the city Deputy Commissioner of Police Himanshu Lal continued to interrogate the gangster till late in the evening.

Acharya, who was remanded for five days’ police custody on Wednesday, was put in office of Assistant Commissioner Police near Infocity here.

“We are not going to take the words being uttered by the accused. Whatever he is saying, we will thoroughly verify it,” Commissioner of Police Bijay Sharma said.

Mr. Sharma, who had spent considerable time in premier investigating agencies such as the CBI and State Crime Branch, said right now he had no plans to start interrogating the gangster.

Sources said the interrogating officers were briefing the new Commissioner of Police about the outcome of the questioning session.

Sources in the Police Department said the gangster was not easily succumbing to pressure tactics to narrate the truth and was reiterating at what he was quoted saying in many media reports.

Apprehensions

Meanwhile, several high profile bureaucrats and police higher-ups were apprehensive about the outcome of the interrogation.

The gangster had already dropped a bombshell by uttering the name of controversial IAS officer Priyabrata Patnaik while he was being whisked away from Biju Patnaik airport to Infocity area on Wednesday.

Moreover, the police was yet to settle on one motive behind the murder. Police was suspecting at least four motives behind killing of Biranchi Das.

Once the interrogation process progresses, the department would zero in on a single motive, sources said.

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