Chandbali: A charge sheet has been filed in the Chandbali Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court today by the Crime Branch in connection with the sensational kidnapping and murder of cameraman Manas Swain.
Crime Branch DSP Kalpana Sahoo submitted the charge sheet at the Chandbali JMFC Court against eight accused persons including prime accused Sarmistha Rout.
The other accused in the case are Jhuna Bhoi, Ranjan Kumar Nayak, Bhagyadhar Nayak, former OIS Officer Niranjan Sethy, Parameswar Rout, Krushna Chandra Nayak and one Juvenile in Conflict with Law (JCL) under sections 363,364,465,467,471,302,201,120-B, 212 and 34 of IPC, read an official press note by the Crime Branch.
Sarmistha Rout, the main accused behind the brutal killing of the lensman, and her associated abducted Swain while the latter had gone to shoot a marriage function in Palaspur village in February this year. He was then brutally assaulted at Dayal Ashram under Airfield Police Station in Bhubaneswar. leading to his death. Later, the accused buried his body in Ranpur in Nayagarh district and tried to erase the evidence against them.
Manas had possessed a memory card containing videos and photos which could have landed Sarmistha in trouble, for which she was trying to get the memory card.
Manas Swain, a resident of Godipokhari village in Ranpur area of Nayagarh district, was working as a cameraman for a Bhubaneswar-based web portal ‘Sampoorna’ run by Sarmistha Rout. He was allegedly kidnapped when he was returning from Chandbali area in Bhadrak district on February 7. He had gone there to shoot a wedding function.
The abductors allegedly took Swain to ‘Dayal Ashram’ old age home at Sundarpada in Bhubaneswar. It was being run by Sarmistha.
Manas was assaulted and murdered at the old age home on the night of February 7 while the body was buried in Nayagarh district. Police had exhumed Swain’s body near Badhipatna hills in Rajsunakhala area of the district on March 12.
As a result, the police arrested all the accused and remanded them in judicial custody. On 23rd March, the Crime Branch took over the case. After four months, a 108-page charge sheet was submitted today in Chandbali JMFC Court.
