Berhampur: Sudarshan, an aide of accused former MLA Bikram Panda, who had surrendered before Odisha Police in connection with the sensational murder of lawyer and BJP leader Pitabas Panda, has been released from police custody.

According to sources, Sudarshan surrendered at Baidyanathpur Police Station and was freed late Thursday night after cooperating with the investigation. He was reportedly questioned about the financial transactions of Bikram Panda, who is currently one of the prime accused in the case.

Rs 50 Lakh Deal for Murder

The ongoing probe into the high-profile case has uncovered a ₹50 lakh deal struck for Pitabas Panda’s murder, with ₹10 lakh paid in advance to execute the plan.

Police Crack Case After 17-Day Manhunt

Seventeen days after the murder, Berhampur Police solved the case by arresting 12 accused persons, including BJD’s Ganjam District President Bikram Panda and former Mayor Shibshankar Das alias Pintu.

Other arrested individuals include Chintu Pradhan, Sishupal Kumar Paswan, Kundan Kumar, Bipin Swain, Simanchal Nayak, Jogendra Rout, Malay Kumar Bisoyi, Madan Mohan Dalai, Rajendra Kumar Sahoo, and Kalu Charan Bhuyan.

Police identified Bikram Panda and Pintu Das as the main conspirators. All accused have been remanded to judicial custody.

All arrests were made based on concrete evidence gathered through multi-angle investigations, said Berhampur SP Dr. Saravana Vivek M.

Murder Was Pre-Planned, Says SP

At a press briefing, Berhampur SP revealed that the murder was meticulously planned. Bipin Swain of Hinjili had hired sharpshooters Sishupal Paswan and Kundan Kumar from Bihar, who stayed on rent in Alakapuri, Berhampur, between September 10 and 14.

With the help of Bipin and Simanchal Nayak, they conducted surveillance on Pitabas Panda’s daily routine — from his court visits to his evening hours at lawyers’ chambers — before fixing the time of the attack.

Execution and Escape

On October 6 night, accused Chintu Pradhan and Kurupati Bhuyan waited near Baikunthanagar on a motorcycle. At 10 pm when Pitabas Panda arrived, Kurupati greeted him before shooting him in the chest. After the attack, they fled, dumped the firearm, and changed their clothes and helmets to mislead the investigation.

They travelled via Mausimaa Temple, Radio Station, Lochapada, and Gurundi, and later parked their vehicle near Rameswar in Purushottampur before boarding a bus to Puri. From there, Chintu escaped to Bengaluru, while Kurupati fled to Jeypore, where Sunil Hota, a friend of Bikram Panda, sheltered him at his farmhouse.

Police confirmed that Bikram Panda was aware of Kurupati’s stay at the farmhouse. Kurupati later fled Odisha after four days.

Also Read: Pitabas Panda murder: BJD-BJP war of words over former MLA Bikram Panda’s arrest

Political Rivalry Behind the Murder

Investigators found that former Mayor Pintu Das had filed a petition challenging the MLA status of Berhampur MLA K. Anil Kumar. Bikram Panda allegedly financed the case, while Madan Dalai and Malay Bisoyi coordinated with Pintu.

Pintu reportedly held a personal grudge against Pitabas Panda, suspecting him of facilitating the bail of accused persons in the 2013 Shanti Mishra murder case, Mishra being a close aide of Pintu.