Berhampur: The murder of senior advocate and BJP leader Pitabas Panda stemmed from a meticulously planned criminal conspiracy, involving hired gunmen and a financial deal of Rs 50 lakh, Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M told a presser on Wednesday.
This followed the arrest of former Berhampur MLA and present BJD Ganjam district president Bikram Panda and three others – former BeMC Mayor Siba Sankar Dash alias Pintu Das, corporator Malya Bisoi and BJD leader Madan Dalei.
The Case
On the night of October 6, two motorcycle-borne assailants shot Pitabas Panda near his home in Baikuntha Nagar, under Baidyanathpur police limits, while he was returning on a scooter. He was rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Baidyanathpur Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Arms Act and launched an intensive probe. Six special teams were formed to track down the culprits.
The Masterminds
According to the SP, Bikram Panda and Siba Sankar Dash plotted to eliminate Pitabas Panda over political, personal and financial reasons. They roped in Malaya Bisoi and Madan Dalei to execute the plan, who in turn contacted Uma Bisoi, an anti-social, to arrange for shooters.
“Bisoyi approached Jogendra Raut alias Jogi, who then contacted Bipin Swain who resided in West Bengal, while one Simanchal Nayak was engaged for liaison,” he said.
Aborted First Attempt
Two sharpshooters – Sisirkumarpal Pawan and Kundan Kumar, were hired from Bihar for Rs 10 lakh and they arrived in Berhampur on September 10. They along with Swain and Nayak were put up at the house of one Sunya Chandra Das at Alakapuri in Berhampur by Malaya Bisoi and Madan Dalei on the pretext that they were in the city for medical treatment. The murder plan was to be executed on September 14 for which a recce was also done. However, it was aborted after one of the shooters returned to Bihar after his wife fell ill.
The SP clarified that Das had no role in the murder.
The Planned Murder & Escape
Following which, Uma Bisoi arranged for local sharpshooters – Kurupati Bhuyan and Chintu Pradhan – from his village Banthapalli. “Chintu worked in Bengaluru. They were put up at a bachelor pad about 20 metres from Panda’s residence. Uma Bisoi and Jogendra Raut had assured Rs 5 lakh to one who pulls the trigger and Rs 3 lakh to one who rides the bike. On the day of the murder, they were taken to an abandoned under construction building at Alakapuri near Das’ house and provided with a gun, new clothes, shoes and a motorcycle,” the SP said.
They two rode the motorcycle to Pitabas Panda’s residence and waited for him by parking it near the Chhak. “When Pitabas Panda arrived, they greeted him to ensure his identity. Kurupati Bhuyan then got down from the bike and pulled the trigger at 10.01 pm. They then took the route through Mausi Maa temple, All India Radio station, Gurundi and fled towards Sitalapalli, where they changed their clothes, and buried the gun. They reached the NH via Purushottampur and abandoned the two-wheeler near a tea stall at Rameswar before taking a bus from Bhubaneswar to Puri, from where Chintu took a train for Bengaluru,” he said, both had left their mobile phones at home.
Kurupati Bhuyan, on the other hand, reached Jaipur, where one Sunil Hota, an associate of Bikram Panda, gave him shelter in his farmhouse though he was aware of his involvement in the murder and later he was sent outside Odisha. “Uma Bisoi and Kurupati Bhuyan are both absconding,” the SP said.
Clear Evidence
He further said police have evidence of links between those who gave shelter to the shooters with Bikram Panda, Malaya Bisoi, Madan Dalei and Siba Shankar Dash. “The deal was for Rs 50 lakh and an advance of Rs 10 lakh was paid to Malaya Bisoi, who gave it to Uma Bisoi. We have technical and communication evidence confirming involvement of Siba Sankar Dash in the murder,” he said.
Personal & Political Rivalry
Elaborating on the motive, the SP said that an associate of Siba Sankar Dash’s Shanti Mishra was murdered in 2013 and he held Pitabas Panda responsible for delays in the trial and for helping the accused, Maouza Mishra, secure bail. “He also suspected Panda’s role in the three attempts made on his life and had lodged an FIR for attempted murder against him. He was also under the impression that Pitabas Panda also acted against him and ensured that he did not get a ticket to contest election,” he said.
The enmity between Bikram Panda and Pitabas Panda had also increased manifold after the Odisha Bar Council election. “Though Pitabas Panda got maximum number of votes, he could not get any post in the Bar Council of India. He had then vowed to destroy Bikram Panda’s political career and went around saying the same to everyone to be able to pass on the message to the former Berhampur MLA. Bikram Panda was also convinced that Pitabas Panda was behind all social media posts against him. They decided to get rid of Pitabas Panda for their political survival,” the SP said.
Election Petition
The investigation also revealed a political connection between former MLA Bikram Panda and former Mayor Siba Shankar Dash, revolving around an election petition. “An election petition was filed on May 19, 2024, against the sitting MLA of Berhampur. The petition was filed in the name of a helper who works at Siba Sankar Dash’s residence. In reality, it was filed by Siba Shankar Das himself. The legal expenses and advocate fees for pursuing the election petition were being borne by Bikram Panda. The understanding between them was that if the MLA were disqualified as a result of the petition, Bikram Panda would contest the Assembly seat in the by-election, and using his influence through corporators, he would help make Siba Shankar Das the Mayor,” the SP said.
“This political arrangement and shared motive form a key part of what we have learned so far in our investigation,” he added.
Arrests
The SP said that 12 people, including the shooters from Bihar, have so far been arrested in connection with the murder. “Bipin Swain and Simanchal Nayak, who did the recce and showed the escape route to the shooters from Bihar, along with Jogendra Raut, who took care of the logistics on the direction of Uma Bisoyi, have also been arrested. We have also seized the gun used in the crime, clothes worn by the assailants and mobile phones of the accused. The abandoned bike was stolen by one Rajendra Kumar Sahoo and later sold to a scrap dealer. He has also been arrested under relevant sections for dismantling the bike, which is a crucial evidence in the murder,” he informed.
Further investivation is underway and efforts are on to nab the remaining accused, the SP added.
However, Senior BJD MLA and former minister Pramila Mallik condemned the arrest of the party’s Ganjam district president, which she termed as politically motivated ahead of the Nuapada by-election. She further alleged that police have acted without a thorough investigation into the murder.