Attack on minister : Police interrogates four ‘culprits’

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Mar 1:

The four accused arrested by the Puri police from Andhra Pradesh in connection with the murderous assault on Law and Culture minister Maheswar Mohanty are being interrogated at an undisclosed location somewhere near Konark, sources in the police said.

They were brought to Konark police station on Friday evening, the sources added.

Following the interrogation, the police is likely to throw light on whether the attack on minister Mohanty was politically motivated or there were any other reasons behind the attack. The police is also probing whether these men had been given a ‘supari’ by someone to attack Mohanty, the sources said.

The challenge before the police is to present a credible theory and motive that led to the attack on the minister. Media reports that the attack was engineered by Mohanty’s rivals within the BJD and that there is a strong link between the attack on minister and Guna Simhari murder case of 2012 have made things difficult for the police, sources said.

All the four arrested are from Puri and they would be forwarded to the court today. The police would seek the court’s permission to take them in remand, the sources added.

DGP Prakash Mishra told OST that four persons who were involved in the murderous attack were arrested from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.The four had fled Puri after the incident and moved first to Puttaparthi and then to Bengaluru.The ‘assailants’ were nabbed while they were returning from Bengaluru, the DGP said.

Mohanty was fired at on February 21 at around 9 PM near the Amala Club close to his residence, while he was returning on his scooter after attending a meeting.

Mohanty who was admitted to the Kalinga Hospital for surgery is now recuperating after the removal of the bullet from his body. His condition has improved, according to the sources in the hospital.