Former Malkangiri Collector’s PA Death: New Crime Branch Team Starts Probe, Wife Questions Delay

Malkangiri: Even as the Crime Branch has launched a fresh investigation into the death of former district collector’s personal assistant (PA) under mysterious circumstances, the PA’s wife has raised doubt over the probe.

The investigating team of Crime Branch led by DSP Debabrata Khatua on Friday went to the residence of Deba Narayan Panda, the PA of former collector Manish Agarwal, and questioned the PA’s wife Banaja Panda and daughter for nearly one hour in Jeypore.

Panda had gone missing on December 27 last year and his body was found in Satiguda dam a day later. After police investigation failed to solve the case, Banaja filed a  case at the court in Malkangiri against six police personnel alleging that attempts were being made to destroy evidence in the case of her husband, Odisha DGP Abhay ordered a Crime Branch probe into the matter in January.

Banaja also alleged that her husband might have taken the extreme step as he was under severe work pressure.

Before the Crime Branch could make any progress in the case, its investigation officer was transferred on promotion and Khatua was assigned the responsibility of the investigation.

Speaking to the media, Banaja expressed her doubt in the probe which was moving at a slow pace due to repeated changes of the investigation team. Holding the former collector and SP responsible for the death of her husband, she questioned how a DSP can interrogate his senior officers.

“I have lost faith in the police administration and state government. I doubt whether I will get justice from the investigation by the state administration and demand a CBI probe into the case so that real culprits can be brought to book,” she said.