Sarathi Baba moves bail petition in Odisha court

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Aug 17:

A panel of three advocates today moved the Cuttack district and sessions court seeking bail for the self-proclaimed Odisha god man Srimad Sarathi alias Santosh Kumar Raula.

The advocates who moved the bail petition on behalf of Srimad Sarathi today were Manas Chand, Ratiranjan Mishra and Manindra Patra.

Earlier, the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court here had rejected the bail petition of Srimad Sarathi on two occasions.

The court had on August 15 remanded Sarathi to 14-day judicial custody after which he is lodged in the Choudwar circle jail. The court has asked the Crime Branch to produce the Baba in the court next on August 21. The Crime Branch had produced Sarathi in the court on August 15 morning at the end of the second phase three-day remand.

In another development, a day after tracing out the owner of the mysterious red coloured car which allegedly shipped out stacks of papers and valuable on the night of August 6, the Crime Branch is interrogating its owner today.

The mysterious Toyota Etios Liva bearing registration number OD-05-K-0100 was found abandoned in front of Singhabahini Club at Sigmapur villge bear Jagatpur late on Sunday evening.

The car had allegedly entered the Barimul ashram of  Sarathi Baba a day before the Baba was arrested by Crime Branch, and allegedly shifted several documents and valuables from the ashram  before it was raided by Crime Branch.

While the car has been brought to the Crime Branch headquarters here, the owner of the car has been identified as Saroj Kumar Rout son of Jayaram Rout, with his address mentioned as Barimula, Kendrapara in the RC book.

The owner of the vehicle, when contacted using the mobile number provided in the RC book of the vehicle, said he was being interrogated by the Crime Branch.