Odisha Crime Branch to grill sellers of land to Sarathi

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Aug 22:

The Odisha Crime Branch police, presently investigating the properties owned by the self-styled godman Sarathi Baba, will interrogate the persons who have sold lands to Sarathi Baba, his so-called son Satyam Sekhar Raula and the Satyam Charitable Trust.

The state investigating agency would probe whether these persons had sold their land on their own or were pressurised to sell it.

Informing the media today, Crime Branch ADG BK Sharma said efforts are on to contact these sellers to know whether they had sold the land at the market price.

“This is a complex case. The Crime Branch has intensified its investigation into the matter, which would take some time to crack the case. Since the arrest of Sarathi Baba on August 8, we have registered four cases against him under section 120-B, 420, 341, 506 and 379 of IPC,” Sharma said.

In the meanwhile, the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Kendrapara on Saturday recorded the statement of the woman who had levelled sexual exploitation charges against Sarathi Baba under section 164 of the IPC. The woman, in a complaint lodged with the Crime Branch in Cuttack on Thursday, had alleged that Sarathi Baba had tried to outrage her modesty. On the basis of the complaint, the Crime Branch has registered a case against the Baba under section 354 of the IPC.