Bhubaneswar: A senior officer of the Odisha Information Service (OIS), who retired a couple of weeks back had an active role in the kidnapping and murder of a city-based cameraman Manas Swain. The ex-OIS officer in question is Niranjan Sethi, who superannuated from service on February 28, 2022, as the Director (Technical) of the Information and Public Relation (I&PR) Department.
Now the question arises, why did a senior officer of the rank of Sethi get involved in a heinous crime like kidnapping, assault & murder, and disposal of the body by burying it?
Sources said, Sethi was involved in an illicit relationship with the Editor of ‘Sampurna’ magazine, Sarmista Rout, the prime accused in this case. The former OIS officer was getting sexual favours from Rout and either one instance or a couple of such encounters of the duo was captured on the lens, sources added.
Additional SP, Bhadrak Jatindra Panda today confirmed that the motive behind this crime was a memory chip that was in possession of Swain. Now it is being believed that the memory chip in question had objectionable videos involving the duo – Sethi and Sarmista, sources added.
Ommcom News is in possession of a document issued by the I&PR Department, signed by Sethi in which he has empanelled ‘Sampurna’ magazine for State Government advertisements. Interestingly, this letter was duly signed and issued by the Director (Technical), Sethi, on the day of his retirement from Government service.
According to sources, Sarmista had a past record of blackmailing influential people for ‘various reasons’ to get her job done and Sethi was allegedly one among them. She could have blackmailed Sethi over their alleged illegitimate relation to get accreditation for her fortnightly magazine, sources said.
On the other hand, there is a possibility that Swain through some means, secured or captured objectionable videos involving the duo. It is also likely that the cameraman was reluctant to part with the videos triggering a sense of insecurity and fear of humiliation in Sethi and Sarmista. This could have prompted them to plot Swain’s murder, sources added.
The details will emerge once the police is in possession of the memory chip and the prime accused Sarmista and her associate Jhuna are arrested.
