The Chandbali police have cracked the murder of photographer Manas Swain of Nayagarh district by arresting three persons in connection with the incident.
However, prime accused Sharmista Rout, owner of a web portal on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, is still at large. Sahrmista also owns a weekly newspaper ‘Sampurna’.
Sahrmista set up an old age home ‘Dayal Ashram’. It is alleged that she used to produce porn vide in the ashram and engaged Manas to shoot them.
Manas had kept some of those obscene videos which Sharmista asked him to return. But Manas didn’t return them and, instead, quit the web portal.
Sharmista along with four to five people began a search for Manas. On her instructions, her associates kidnapped Manas from Chandabali in Bhadrak district on March 13 and brought him to Dayal Ashram and severely thrashed him, following which he died.
Some blood stains were found in a cot in the ashram. Attempts were made to wipe them out. Then the accused took the body to Nayagarh and burnt it. After the arrested trio confessed to the crime, they were taken to Nayagarh for recreation of the crime scene and the body was exhumed.
Meanwhile, police have begun a hunt to nab Sharmista and the other absconding accused.
