Berhampur: The Odisha Crime Branch has stepped up its investigation into the daylight murder of senior BJD leader Naba Kishore Das allegedly by former police official Gopal Das after examining the old call records of the accused.
Police sources said that the Crime Branch officials have retrieved and examined the old call records of Gopal Das, a former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Police, to identify all those he was in contact with prior to the murder that took place over two years ago.
After a thorough scrutiny of the call records of the accused, it has been found that several people spoke to Gopal Das over the phone before the murder, according to Additional Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, B K Mallick.
The investigators have now put these people under scanner as part of the probe. All those who spoke with Gopal before the crime are being summoned for interrogation. The purpose is to find the sequence of events and ascertain possible motives or external influences, said a police official.
As the probe was intensified, a team of the Crime Branch has been camping in Berhampur since April 23. The team members have already questioned Gopal’s immediate family members, including his son and brother, to obtain background information and behavioural patterns.
The team has also questioned a cook, who was employed at an eatery in Jharsuguda, owned by Gopal’s brother. It is believed that the cook may have some information about Gopal’s activities ahead of the crime.
Some more people, including nephew and others, will also be examined by the investigating team. The focus is to ascertain with whom Gopal Das had spoken with over phone prior to the incident. The CB team is now carrying out some probe at Baidyanathpur Police Station in Berhampur.
Preliminary findings from the call records suggest that Gopal had telephonic conversations with several people in Berhampur and nearby areas before the murder. The Crime Branch is preparing to summon these individuals for questioning to ascertain the nature of these communications.
These call records could provide key evidence that might reveal whether Gopal committed the crime alone or was influenced, incited, or assisted by others. The investigative team is leaving no stone unturned to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine whether the murder was part of a larger conspiracy.
Notably, senior BJD leader Naba Das was allegedly shot at by Gopal when he was the Health Minister at Brajarajnagar on January 29, 2023. He was later declared dead at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
