Bhubaneswar: The branch office of the premier National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Bhubaneswar is now set to become fully functional with jurisdiction across Odisha. The state Home Department has issued a notification in this regard, declaring the NIA branch as a police station.
As per sources, the NIA branch office is initially operating from VSS Nagar of Bhubaneswar where an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) will remain in-charge.
It may be noted that the Centre had in January 2022 given nod to set up six new branches of the NIA including one in Bhubaneswar.
This move aims to enhance NIA’s presence and capacity to investigate and prosecute offences with national and cross-border implications, particularly focusing on terrorism, insurgency, and related matters.
The notification issued by Odisha’s Home department on May 17 has declared the office of the Superintendent of Police, In-charge of the NIA Police Station, Bhubaneswar, as a police station under the powers conferred by Section 2(1)(u) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act 46 of 2023).
The notification will take effect from the date of its publication in the Odisha Gazette.
Currently, NIA has 19 branches in Delhi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur, Jammu, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Chennai, Imphal, Bengaluru, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Bhopal and Ahmedabad.
The move assumes significance as it comes in the wake of the arrest of travel vlogger Jyoti Malhotra from Haryana for her alleged involvement in spying for Pakistan.
Jyoti reportedly visited Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri last year. During her visit to Odisha, she was reportedly accompanied by travel vlogger Priyanka Senapati, who is based in Puri.
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) reportedly questioned Priyanka over her alleged friendship with Jyoti Malhotra.
