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On October 14 — days after his former friend and BJP leader Pitabash Panda was shot dead by some unknown assailants — former Biju Janata Dal MLA Bikram Panda went to his house to offer his condolences, hands folded in homage. Two weeks later, he was arrested for a murder that was allegedly driven by failed political ambitions, financial setbacks and a lingering 12-year-old case.
On Wednesday, police arrested Bikram Panda, a former MLA from Berhampur, and at least 12 others — including former city mayor Siba Shankar Das — for Pitabash’s killing. Four people – including the main shooter — are believed to be on the run.
A member of the Odisha Bar Council, Pitabash was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants near his Berhampur residence late on October 6, sparking widespread anger over law and order in the state.
Police said Panda and Das were in cahoots in the crime. Investigators questioned over 100 people and dug up old case files to identify the hired shooters.
For the killing, Panda and Das allegedly hired two local youths — Kurupatti Bhuyan and Chintu Pradhan, Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said. While Pradhan has been arrested, Bhuyan is reportedly on the run.
According to police, Das’s enmity with Pitabash goes back to a 2013 murder case in which his associate was killed. Pitabash had represented the 13 accused in that case. Das also allegedly survived an attempt on his life and blamed Pitabash.
“Das believed that the trial in the case was getting delayed because of Pitabash. He believed that the accused who were released on bail attempted to kill him at Pitabash’s instigation,” the SP said.
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Police said Panda and Das also suffered financial setbacks after the BJP government under Mohan Charan Majhi came to power in 2024. Das had also hoped for a BJP ticket in the 2019 and 2024 Assembly polls and allegedly blamed Pitabash, a leader of the party, when it never came.
He unsuccessfully fought those elections as an independent candidate.
The SP said the murder was meticulously planned. On September 29 — a week before the killing — Bhuyan and Pradhan checked into a nearby accommodation and began tracking Pitabash’s routine, noting his daily movements – where he went, what he did and whom he met. Then, on October 6, the duo allegedly executed their plan.
Waiting on a bike near a food stall Pitabash frequented, Bhuyan — riding pillion — got off and shot him around 10:01 pm.
The suspects allegedly fled to Puri and then Jeypore in Koraput district, dumping their clothes, guns and bike along the way. In Jeypore, they were allegedly sheltered by an aide of the former MLA. The gun used in the killing was later recovered from a beach in Ganjam.
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“Investigation has revealed that two suspects, Malaya Bisoyi and Madan Dalei, were in touch with the former Berhampur mayor, who has 38 cases pending against him. Communication between them was established before and after the crime,” SP Vivek said.
Malaya Bisoyi, an aide of the former MLA, has been arrested.
Police also revealed a previous attempt on Pitabash’s life on September 14. The suspects had then hired four other shooters — including two from Bihar — for the murder.
That plan failed. “All four stayed in a rented house on the instructions of Malaya Bisoyi. Though they had planned everything, the killers had to leave because of a medical emergency,” SP said, adding that other suspects in the murder case will be arrested “soon”.
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