Bhubaneswar: Police have taken the prime accused of cameraman Manas Swain’s kidnapping and murder case on a five-day remand for interrogation on Monday.
Reportedly, the Chandbali Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) gave permission to Police to take prime accused Sarmistha Rout along with her associate Jhuna Bhoi on remand.
Earlier, police had urged the court to take the accused on a 10-day remand to interrogate.
Apart from the pair, the court also allowed the Crime Branch to take two other accused who were earlier arrested in connection with the case on remand. They include Niranjan Sethi, a retired Odisha Information Service (OIS) officer and Ranjan Nayak.
A joint team of Bhadrak police and Crime Branch arrested Sarmishta and her associate Jhuna from the Nalanga area of Bhadrak today. The duo was on their way to Odisha from Kolkata in a bus when they were apprehended. The two spent a few days in Kolkata and Guwahati to evade arrest.
Sources said Sarmistha was apprehended near Bhadrak while she was travelling in a bus from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar. She was escorted to Chandbali police station where the case of cameraman Manas Swain’s kidnapping and murder was registered.
