Manas Swain murder case: Evidence found from Jajpur

Bhubaneswar: In ongoing probe into cameraman Manas Swain murder case, Crime Branch team reportedly found some evidence from Chandikhol area in Jajpur district.

Source said that police seized some materials including Manas’ half-burnt shoes, his earphone, a pickaxe and a sack in which body was carried for disposal in Nayagarh district, from Chandikhol area.

The plan was made to hide these evidence after killing the cameraman, the source said.

The Crime Branch team had reportedly taken Ranjan Nayak, one of the accused persons arrested in the case, to Chandikhol to recreate crime scene today.

During interrogation, Ranjan reportedly admitted to crime before the probing agency. He reportedly revealed that Sarmistha was the mastermind behind the murder of lenseman.

Reportedly, he admitted before the police that Manas was kidnapped by Sarmistha and others and kept at Dayal Asharm in Bhubaneswar where former I&PR Director Niranjan Sethi and others killed him. Following murder, the body was taken in a car belonging to Sarmistha and dumbed in Ranpur area in Nayagarh district.

Source said that Ranjan had burnt valuables belonging to deceased in Chandikhole to eliminate the evidence after murder.

Earlier, the deceased person’s mobile phone was found from a tea stall in Chandikhol area.

The Crime Branch has taken four accused persons — Sarmistha Rout, Niranjan Sethi, Jhuna Bhoi and Ranjan Nayak on a 5-day remand for questioning in Manas Swain murder case.

Also Read: Manas Swain Murder: Odisha CB takes Sarmistha Rout, 3 others on remand

Sarmistha Rout, who is the prime accused in the murder case, was nabbed from Nalanga area in Bhadrak district on March 28 while she along with her associate Jhuna Bhoi was returning in a bus from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar.

Also Read: Manas Swain murder: Prime accused Sarmistha Rout arrested

So far, police have arrested eight persons including retired OIS Officer Niranjan Sethi and Sarmistha’s brother Parameswar Rout in connection with the case.

Also Read: Lensman Manas Swain murder: Former Odisha I&PR Director arrested

Also Read: Manas Swain murder case: Prime accused Sarmistha Rout’s brother held

Manas Swain, a resident of Godipokhari village in Ranpur area of Nayagarh district, was allegedly kidnapped from Bhadrak district on February 7. He was working as a cameraman in a web channel ‘Sampurna’ run by Sarmistha. Reportedly, he was murdered at Dayal Ashram in Bhubaneswar, where the web channel was being operated, and the body was dumbed in Nayagarh district. His body was exhumed from Badhipatna hills in Nayagarh district on March 12, weeks after he went missing from Chandbali area in Bhadrak district.

Sarmistha was on run along with her associate Jhuna Bhoi after police initiated probe into the murder of Manas Swain.

Police said that Manas had possessed a microchip containing obscene videos and photos which could have landed Sarmistha in trouble.

Meanwhile, the post-mortem report of Manas Swain revealed the cause of death. The report stated that he was brutally beaten up, hit with a fatal weapon and had a rib fracture before his death.