Jharsuguda: With fresh investigation began into sensational former health minister Naba Das murder case, Odisha Crime Branch intensified probe in second phase. 

A Crime Branch team led by Additional SP Bijay Kumar Mallick began fresh investigation by interrogating several persons in Jharsuguda district for their alleged links in the murder case. 

The probe team recorded the statements of Rajpur Sarpanch Saraswati Nayak's husband Ganesh Bag and Rajpur GP's Paveen Deo, whom prime accused Gopal Das had last called a few hours before murder of Naba Das. 

More persons linked in the murder case are likely to be interrogated by the investigating team. 

Naba Kishore Das, former Health & Family Welfare Minister, was assassinated in broad daylight on January 29, 2023. Gopal Das, an on-duty police official, shot him from a short distance while the then minister was alighting from his car to attend a meeting scheduled at Brajarajnagar. 

The then BJD government handed over the probe to the Crime Branch. After the BJP came to power in the state, the investigative agency carried out the investigation actively into the high-profile murder case from March this year.