Bhubaneswar: The mystery surrounding the memory chip, which reportedly led to the murder of cameraman of a web channel Manas Swain, has been solved with its content coming to light.
Revealing the content of the memory chip, an associate of Manas told the media that it had video recording of a short film shot on Puri sea beach. Produced by the web channel owner Sarmistha Rout, former OIS officer Niranjan Sethi and two actresses enacted in the film.
For the shooting of the film, Niranjan, Sarmistha, two actresses, Manas and his associate had gone to Puri on January 29. As per the storyline of the film, the scene of Niranjan saving a drowning boy and later, taking bath with the actresses was shot by Manas who was assisted by his associate.
Later, Sarmistha asked Manas to give the chip for further works of the film, but he refused. Manas had told his associate that he would not give the chip till Sarmistha paid his five months’ salary, his associate said.
He further said as Sarmistha and her associates used to threaten Manas for the chip and had also beaten him up.
Meanwhile, the caretaker of Dayal Ashram in Bhubaneswar has claimed to have found a letter purportedly written by Manas before allegedly being tortured to death there over the memory chip.
“I found the letters while cleaning the room. Manas had written that he was being tortured and those who had abducted him had taken away Rs 4,000, his camera, wallet and bank passbook,” the caretaker said.
Manas was allegedly kidnapped from Palaspur village under Chandbali police limits on February 7. He was beaten to death the same night and his body disposed of in Nayagarh district. Police exhumed the body on March 12 following the arrest of three kidnappers, who claimed to have committed the crime at the behest of Sarmistha.
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