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Odisha Crime Branch escalated its reinvestigation on Friday into the murder case of former minister and senior BJD leader Naba Kishore Das, with officials returning to Jharsuguda district for further inquiries.
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This is the second phase of Crime Branch reinvestigation into the sensational case.
Led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Bijay Mallick, the team plans to interrogate several individuals linked to the much-debated case.
Statements of 3 persons recorded
A critical aspect of the inquiry involves investigating Praveen Deo from Rajpur panchayat, following revelations about his communication with suspect Gopal Das prior to the incident. The Crime Branch is scrutinising the reasons behind Gopal Das’ decision to contact Praveen Deo just before the murder unfolded.
The investigative team began its work at the Gandhi Chhak police outpost in Jharsuguda town. Manoj Bariha is also involved in the current inquiry phase. However, it remains uncertain who else might be called in for questioning.
As part of the investigation, officials are examining the call logs of Ganesh Bag, the husband of local sarpanch Saraswati Nayak. The scrutiny extends to Gopal’s phone records as they delve deeper into the possible motives and connections related to the crime.
The anti-crime agency recorded statements of the three interrogated persons.
“Crime Branch team asked me as to how I am known to Gopal Das,” Manoj Bariha said to mediapersons.
When asked if he had instigated accused Gopal Das to commit the crime, Bariha refuted the allegations and stated, “No, no, these are baseless allegations.”
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ASP Bijay Mallick did not divulge much detail and remained tight-lipped instead. “A detailed reinvestigation is underway, and anyone can be questioned if required,” he said.
