Bhubaneswar: Suspended constable arrested for running bar in violation of Covid-19 norms

BHUBANESWAR: Police on Saturday arrested the suspended Bhubaneswar constable and havildar association president Prasanna Behera on charges of running the bar of South City Hotel without licence and violation of Covid-19 norms.
Along with him bar owner Pradyumna Jena and manager Sourabh Jain were arrested. South City Hotel came under police scanner after Manish Anurag, son of senior journalist Navin Das, was murdered following a late night brawl in the bar over payment of bills.
On Friday, Pramod Pattanayak, the inspector-in-charge of Tomando police station under which the hotel and bar falls, was transferred to headquarters for dereliction of duty as the bar was functioning without licence and was running till late in the night, which is a violation of pandemic norms.
Besides being booked under several sections of Excise Act for not obtaining a licence to run the bar, constable Behera and the other two have been arrested for breaking pandemic rules. They have been also booked under Section 34 (common intention) and 120 (b) criminal conspiracy.
"We also found evidence of them indulging in extortion," said DCP Uma Shankar Das.
Manish had gone to the bar on October 9 and his body was found floating in a pond close to the hotel the next day.