Odisha social activist murder: Absconding auto-driver surrenders

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, May 28:

While the commissionrate police is still clueless in the the murder of social activist Naliniprava Das, an auto-rickshaw driver of Balanga area in Puri district, who had gone into hiding since the incident, surrendered in the Airfield Police station in the Odisha capital in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The auto rickshaw driver Kalindi Sethi (28) alias Muna, who used to offer services to the social activist, came in the radar of the police, as one of the suspects, after he went incommunicado since Saturday, the day of the murder.

While police claim that he has been arrested, sources said that he has surrendered before the police.

“We are investigating various angles of the crime. An auto driver has been detained in this connection and we are interrogating him to get some clue behind the murder. Police is looking for few more auto drivers suspected to be involved in the crime,” said Twin City Commissioner Dr RP Sharma.

Earlier, the nephew of the deceased Brundaban Barik had levelled charges against gangster Hyder in the murder of his aunt. The police are also investigating the allegations against the gangster who is currently lodged in Jharapada Jail here.

“Hyder gang is involved in the murder. The gang had earlier threatened her to vacate her plot (207-N) in the upmarket Aerodrome area,” Barik had alleged.

It may be recalled that the decomposed body of the activist was found inside her house near the Aerodrome area on May 23.