In Odisha, a female editor of the same channel has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 28-year-old cameraman working in a local wave channel. The woman editor, who is absconding for more than 45 days, is accused of being the mastermind of the murder. The body of the cameraman, who was missing since February 7, was recovered from a field on March 12.
Regarding the arrest, police officials said that Sharmistha Raut, editor of Odia fortnightly (which is published once in 15 days) and a web channel named Sampoorna News, was arrested by the team of CID and local police from a bus near Bhadrak Town. She was going from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata. His associate Jhuna Bhoi has also been arrested along with him.
Sharmishtha Raut and Jhuna Bhoi will be produced before the court in Chandbali, Bhadrak on Monday. CID Additional Director General Sanjeev Panda said, “We will demand 10-day police remand of the seven accused arrested in connection with the case.” In fact, 28-year-old photographer Manas Swain of Sampoorna News had gone missing on February 7 when he had gone to Chandbali area of Bhadrak district to shoot a wedding ceremony.
His family members lodged a missing report at Chandbali in Nayagarh district on February 14, following which a case was registered under sections 373 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. After this, on March 12, Swain’s mutilated body was recovered from a paddy field in Nayagarh district.
Before the case was handed over to the state CID last week, the Bhadrak district police had arrested six persons and a search was on for Raut. who allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kidnap, murder and later dispose of the body. Police believe that Swain was murdered over a memory chip that he had refused to hand over to Raut.