Berhampur: In a major breakthrough in the high-profile Pitabash Panda murder case, Berhampur Police have arrested sharpshooter Kurupati Bhuyan, who had been absconding since the crime. After evading capture for several days, Bhuyan was finally taken into custody and is currently being interrogated at an undisclosed location, police sources said.
Along with Bhuyan, police have also apprehended Uma Bisoyi, another key conspirator who allegedly masterminded the killing. Uma is believed to have played a crucial role in bringing together the shooters and coordinating the murder plot.
According to police, Uma Bisoyi had initially called in two sharpshooters from Bihar on September 10 to execute the plan. However, after they backed out, he engaged local criminals Kurupati Bhuyan and Chintu Pradhan from the Banthapalli area to carry out the attack.
Police sources revealed that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy allegedly hatched by Shivashankar Das in collusion with former BJD MLA Bikram Panda. They were assisted by Uma Bisoyi and Jogendra Rout, while Madan Dalei, a close aide of Bikram Panda, and BJD corporator Malay Bisoyi helped execute the plan.
As per the agreement, the shooters were offered a contract of ₹8 lakh—₹5 lakh for the gunman and ₹3 lakh for the bike rider. On October 6, both Kurupati and Chintu waited near Pitabash Panda’s residence. When Pitabash arrived, they greeted him with a namaskar to confirm his identity before Kurupati fired the fatal shots.
Both Uma Bisoyi and Kurupati Bhuyan had been absconding since the incident but have now been arrested. Police interrogation and further investigation into the conspiracy are underway.
