Odisha Collector booked ‘for assistant’s murder’

Yadav said they have recovered two semi-automatic pistols along with 10 live cartridges from their possession.

Nearly 11 months after the Malkangiri Collector’s personal assistant Deba Narayan Panda was found dead after he had gone missing, police have booked the collector and three others on the directions of a judicial magistrate. The state government has also shifted the Collector as the deputy secretary of the Planning and Convergence Department.

Earlier this month, Panda’s wife had moved the court of the SDJM alleging that her husband was murdered because he was aware of the collector’s involvement in certain corrupt activities. She also alleged that the CCTV footage of the collector’s office was tampered with.

Panda was found dead under mysterious circumstances on December 27, 2019, a day after he reportedly went missing. His body was recovered from near Satiguda reservoir and his motorcycle and helmet were found nearby. “FIR has been lodged and SIT has been formed following the court orders. A DYSP rank official is investigating the allegations made by the family members,” a senior police official said.

The four accused have been booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record), 302 (murder), 506 (intimidation), and 34(common intention) of the IPC.

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