Berhampur: Odisha Crime Branch (CB) on Saturday questioned wife and nephew of dismissed ASI Gopal Das, the lone accused in the assassination of Health Minister Naba Das on January 29.
According to sources, a four-member team of the probe agency, which has been camping in Berhampur for the past five days and investigating various aspects of the high-profile murder, reached the residence of Gopal Das at Ankuli industrial area under Baidyanathpur police limits in Berhampur this morning and grilled his wife Jayanti Das and nephew.
The staff of two buses, whom the agency quizzed on Friday, have denied taking any medicine for Gopal as his wife had claimed.
The CB had also picked up his elder brother for questioning in the case.
On the other hand, the 4-day remand period of Gopal will also be coming to an end on Saturday. The dismissed cop reportedly wanted to know whether the health minister instantly or later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Gopal told the investigators that he fired the second round from his service revolver since he thought that the first shot had missed Naba.
Notably, the first bullet had hit the minister and the second one was found stuck in the vehicle behind his car.
The investigative team led by ADG Crime Branch Arun Bothra had found 22 pieces of handwritten papers from a septic tank at Jharsuguda Airport police station. The accused had reportedly written the motive behind killing the minister in the papers. He had flushed the handwritten notes at the toilet during his detention at the police station.
Handwriting experts have been roped in to examine the retrieved notes. A few documents and diaries from the accused’s quarters and office desk, sources added.
