Bhubaneswar: Police raided the houses of industrialist Mahimananda Mishra at Baramunda here and Paradip simultaneously in the morning on Wednesday in connection with the murder of General Manager of Seaways Shipping and Logistics Private Limited (SSPL)
Police were tipped off about the presence of Mishra in Bhubaneswar. “Ä team of police from Paradip searched his house at Baramunda, but failed to trace him. The people, who resided there, were questioned", Jagatsinghpur SP Jaynarayan Pankaj said. The raids will continue for further investigation, he added.
Earlier on November 26, raids were carried out at his farm house in Nischintakoili, Hotel Empire at Saheed Nagar in Bhubaneswar and his house at Odia Bazar in Cuttack.
Similarly, Jagatsinghpur police on November 11 raided the offices of Orissa Stevedores Ltd (OSL) owned by him in Paradip and Cuttack and his house in Paradip. Besides, houses of OSL executive director Basant Bal and two other officials in Puri, Paradip, Cuttack and Kendrapara were also searched by the police. Besides, OSL’s bank accounts were also frozen.
Also read: HC denies interim protection to Mahima Mishra
Mishra had moved Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail which was turned down by the court. He had also challenged the lookout circular issued against him.
On October 26, miscreants hurled crude hand bombs at the vehicle of Seaways Group manager Mahendra Swain near Ambedkar Bhawan at Madhuban Colony in Paradip when he was on his way to office. While Swain attempted to escape, they opened two rounds of bullet killing him on the spot.
Police have so far arrested five accused– Rakesh Chaubey and Riyasat Hussain of Jamshedpur, Muhammad Samin of Jharkhand, and Manoj Gochhayat and Shiva of Cuttack in the case.