While Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda is allegedly involvement in at least 12 cases under the State Crime Branch (CB) police investigation, including murder of VHP leader laxmanananda Saraswati, CB personnel on Thursday began grilling him in connection with the Nayagarh armoury loot incident of 2008 and attack on the Nayagarh police station the same year.
Kept in a special enclosure inside the CB office here at the State Police Headquarters, Panda was subjected to interrogation in two phases in an adjacent special chamber. He was brought here on Wednesday evening on a nine-day remand by the CB and his interrogation began amid tight security. His wife Mili Panda and his advocate were present at the police headquarters but outside the investigation chamber.
While top police officers maintain that they have obtained conclusive evidences of Panda’s involvement in the 2008 armoury loot, the CB police hope to get their hands on some more facts to make their cases strong. DGP Sanjeev Marik on Wednesday had said the revolver seized from Panda during his arrest a fortnight ago from Brahmapur is the same that went missing from Nayagarh armoury.