Sharmili Mallick

Senior journalist, Navin Das has alleged that his elder son, Manish Anurag Das, had been killed by the latter’s friends. Manish reportedly went missing on Saturday before his body was fished out of a pond in Patrapada , on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking from his heart in a video message on his famous YouTube programme, Nirbhaya Gumara Katha, Das said “I have lost my elder son. His friends took him with them for a feast and killed him. The pain of losing a son or daughter at this age is unbearable,” said the senior journalist.

“I have been receiving support and condolences from many people and therefore, I have decided to share my sorrow. Police Commissioner Priyadarshi has assured me that the culprits will be brought to book. As a father, I have full faith in the police department and I respect the law. I hope the police will reveal the names of culprits/murderers soon,” said Das.

He further stated, “His (son’s) marriage date was fixed next month but nothing can happen against God’s will. I received the last call from him at around 4.11 am on Sunday wherein he informed me that he was getting beaten up. Those words of my son will haunt me forever. I am thankful for the support of the people who have stood by me in these difficult times,” he said.

“Today is Maa Durga’s Sasthi Puja and, on this day, I wish no parents suffer the pain of losing their child which I am going through now. I hope Sadguru Sai will help to give me strength to bear the pain and heal me,” Das prayed in the emotional video message.

Meanwhile, teams from Infocity and Tomando police station sealed Hotel South City at Patrapada in the Capital City on Monday afternoon to carry out a detailed investigation into the case. Manish had reportedly visited the hotel some hours before he was allegedly abducted on Saturday late at night.

“Nothing happened at the hotel. As he (Manish) had visited the hotel that night, police have sealed the premises for investigation. He must have come here to book a room. We will hand over the CCTV footage to the police,” said a worker at the hotel.

It is alleged that Manish was abducted by two persons in a car from Infocity area on Saturday. The abductors had allegedly made a ransom call to his family members.

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