Bhubaneswar: Two days after the court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Managing director of Odisha Stevedores Ltd (OSL) Mahimananda Mishra and his close aide Basant Bal, the duo was arrested from Thailand today in connection with the murder of Seaways Shipping GM Mahendra Swain.
'Bangkok Post' reported the arrest of the duo wanted by Odisha police, which was later confirmed by Odisha DGP KB Singh.
“Mahima Mishra has been detained at the immigration centre in Bangkok on request of Odisha police. A team of Police has already left for Thailand to bring him back to State. He will be arrested formally on reaching Odisha”, Singh said at a press meet here.
The Thai Daily reported “Immigration Police have arrested the two wanted by the Indian police and Interpol and will deport them to their home country for further legal action”.
"Speaking to a press briefing at a hotel in the Pratunam area, immigration commissioner Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn identified the two as Mahimananda Mishra, 63, and Basanta Kumar Bal, 69, who were alleged to be influential figures in Paradip, a deep-water port on the east coast of India in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha", the Thailand based news paper reported.
The pair travelled from Nepal to Thailand on 15-day tourist visas, it said quoting the commissioner.
The two were accompanied by family members and five to six bodyguards. Bureau investigators traced the two suspects to various tourist spots in Chon Buri and finally learned they were staying at a hotel in the Pratunam area in Bangkok, the daily said.
Notably, Kujang JMFC court had issued NBW against the duo two days ago hearing a petition filed by local police.
Police had also interrogated his wife Mala Mishra last week and raided his houses at Baramunda in Bhubaneswar, Paradip, his hotel in Bhubaneswar and office.
Police have so far arrested six accused in the case. Rakesh Chaubey and Riyasat Hussain of Jamshedpur, Muhammad Samin of Jharkhand, and Manoj Gochhayat and Shiva of Cuttack were arrested earlier while Susant Sethy, an OSL employee, was nabbed in on Friday.
On October 26, miscreants hurled crude hand bombs at the vehicle of Seaways General Manager Mahendra Swain near Ambedkar Bhawan at Madhuban Colony in Paradip while he was on his way to office. While Swain attempted to escape, they opened two rounds of bullet killing him on the spot.