Hunt on for Bahinipati kin’s assailants

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Jeypore (Koraput), Apr 14:

Three days after the murderous assault on close relatives of senior Congress leader and former MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati at Jeypore in Odisha’s Koraput district, the police are still clueless on the whereabouts of the culprits.

While the investigation is on to ascertain the cause, intention and the plan of attack, efforts are on to trace the mastermind and his associates.

The police have sought the mobile call details of the accused.

A special team of Jeypore police, in the meanwhile, has left for the neighbouring states yesterday following a tip-off about their presence there, said Jeypore SDPO Rajendra Kumar Senapati.

As per the complaint lodged by Bahinipati, a group of six persons, including district Youth BJD president Kuni Adhikari, Bapi Parida and Ranjit Bagh, had launched a murderous assault on his son, nephew and brother inside the room of Hotel Madhumati late on the night of April 10.

He had also alleged that the attack was carried out on the orders of the sitting BJD MLA and minister Rabi Narayan Nanda and his son Bunty.

After registering a case, police began investigation and identified the accused from the CCTV footage in the hotel.

The police have also sought the CCTV footage from another hotel where the mastermind and the accused had allegedly prepared a blueprint of the attack.

Meanwhile, police have detained some of the relatives of the accused to find out their whereabouts.

“Besides, interrogation of the staff and the manager of Madhumati is still on,” the SDPO said adding that the police have found some clues and raids are being conducted in the area on the basis of them.