Bhubaneswar: In a major development in the much-discussed Niladri Vihar taxi driver murder case, the prime accused, Dinesh Nayak, surrendered before Jagatsinghpur Town police on Tuesday. Following his surrender, police immediately began interrogating him. Dinesh is scheduled to be produced before the court on Wednesday.
As the investigation gathers momentum, police have also detained and questioned his girlfriend, Liza Kandi, whose role in the case is under scrutiny. Investigators are examining the alleged triangular love angle believed to be central to the murder of taxi driver Satyabrata Pradhan.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage that surfaced on Tuesday has added a disturbing visual dimension to the case. One of the videos, captured after the attack, shows Satyabrata running desperately for his life moments after being assaulted. The footage has gone viral on social media, triggering widespread public reaction. Another video circulating online shows a boy and a girl walking together. According to preliminary information, the individuals are suspected to be Dinesh and Liza, though police have not officially confirmed their identities so far.
Police sources said that Liza is being questioned intensively, as she has allegedly been changing her statements repeatedly during interrogation. Investigators are also questioning the owner of the house where Liza resides, along with other tenants and neighbours, several of whom appeared at the Chandrasekharpur police station to record their statements.
To establish the sequence of events and uncover the motive, police are recording statements under Section 180 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and are analysing Call Detail Records (CDR). A senior lady inspector has been assigned to formally record Liza’s statement. The house where she was staying has been sealed as part of the investigation, and police have also conducted a raid at Liza’s beauty parlour to collect further evidence.
According to police, the murder took place late on the night of February 8, when taxi driver Satyabrata Pradhan’s throat was allegedly slit in the Chandrasekharpur area of Bhubaneswar which lead to his death . The body was later dumped. Police said they plan to conduct a face-to-face interrogation of Liza and her former boyfriend Dinesh to verify inconsistencies and establish the full chain of events.
Investigators clarified that there is a discrepancy in some references to the victim’s name in circulating accounts, but confirmed that Satyabrata Pradhan is the deceased in the case. The investigation remains ongoing.
