Bhubaneswar: The Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Chandbali on Sunday allowed the Crime Branch to take two accused in cameraman Manas Swain murder case on remand for another three days.
The Chandbali JMFC court granted 3-day police remand of prime accused Sarmistha Rout, and her associate Jhuna Bhoi. The two accused along with ex-OIS officer Niranjan Sethi, and Ranjan Nayak, were produced in the Chandbali court by Crime Branch on Sunday afternoon as their 5-day remand ended on Saturday.
The Crime Branch moved the court seeking an extended remand for the four however, the JMFC allowed a 3-day remand for Sarmistha and Jhuna. According to sources, the Crime Branch is yet to ascertain the exact motive behind Swain’s kidnapping, murder and planned disposal of his body by Sarmistha, Sethi and others involved in the case.
While a memory chip containing one or more ‘objectionable’ footage was allegedly in possession of Swain, whether that led to his death, or there is another angle into the case, is being probed, said sources. Apart from these four, the police have arrested Bhagyadhar Nayak, Vivek Nayak, Krushna Chandra Nayak and Sarmistha’s brother Parameswar Rout, in this case.
According to the Crime Branch, Sarmistha, the former employer of the deceased has confessed to the crime and shared crucial details during scene recreation. The CB has also stumbled upon incriminating evidence at different locations including Chandbali, Bhubaneswar’s Dayal Ashram, Ranapur and at a spot on Daitari-Paradip Expressway.
Swain, a resident of Godipokhari village in Ranpur area of Nayagarh district, was working as a cameraman for a Bhubaneswar-based web portal ‘Sampoorna’ run by Sarmistha. He was allegedly kidnapped while returning from Chandbali on February 7. He had gone there to shoot a wedding function. Swain’s family members lodged a missing complaint with the Chandbali police on February 14.
