Pitabasa Panda murder case: 12 including former BJD MLA, corporator forwarded to court
BJD leader Bikram Panda among 12 arrested in lawyer Pitabas Panda murder case
Berhampur : In a significant development in the high-profile murder case of senior lawyer and BJP leader Pitabasa Panda, a total of 12 people former BJD MLA Bikram Panda, corporator Malaya Bisoi, former mayor Shibasankara Dash (Pintu Das) have been forwarded to court. Other arrested individuals include sharpshooter Chintu Pradhan, Corporator Malaya Bisoyi, former Berhampur Municipal Corporation Mayor Shiv Shankar Dash, Bikram Panda’s associate Madan Dalei, student leader Yogi Rout, Rajendra Sahu, and Kalia Bhuyan.
After the arrests, all of them were taken to a local court. They were later remanded to judicial custody for 14 days due to rejection of their bail pleas.
Earlier, Bikram Panda was summoned to the Baidyanathpur Police Station here on Tuesday for questioning over a financial transaction suspected of being linked to the case. A special police team quizzed him late into the night.
Earlier last night, police detained former BJD MLA Bikram Panda for questioning in connection with the crime.
According to reports, police have also arrested a sharpshooter named Chintu from Bengaluru, and the firearm used in the crime has been recovered.
The police have been probing multiple angles, including property disputes, loan dealings, and professional rivalry. Over the past 15 days, police have questioned more than 80 individuals and examined over 500 CCTV footage clips, as well as the deceased’s call detail records (CDR).
Panda, former Berhampur MLA and Ganjam district BJD president, was summoned to the police station on Tuesday for questioning regarding a financial transaction believed to be connected to the case. A special police team questioned him late into the night.
Notably, Pitabas Panda, a member of the Odisha State Bar Council, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle near his residence in Brahmanagar, under Baidyanathpur police limits, at around 10 pm on October 6.
He sustained bullet wounds to his chest and was rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
