The Commissionerate police has filed a preliminary chargesheet in the SDJM Court here against eight persons in connection with the murder of Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) AGM I Surya Prasad Rao in Bhubaneswar on January 4 night. The police had recovered the body of the VSP official near the Hanuman temple behind the Sainik School at VSS Nagar next morning.
In the chargesheet, police have slapped Section 302 IPC (murder) against the eight accused, including the kingpins Guruji alias Piddina laxman Rao alias Vadi Rammana (50) of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh and Srinibas Panda (40) alias Nibas of Balaram village under the Begunia police limits in Khordha district, both of whom were hardcore criminals.
The other charges slapped by the Mancheswar police against the accused are under Sections 364, 342, 396, 386 and 120 (B) IPC. The other six accused persons named in the chargesheet are Abid Khan (30) of Rayagada, Manoj Kumar Rout alias luna (31) of Raghunathpur on the outskirts of the city and Kulamani Rout (37) of Gopalpur village in Kendrapada district, P laxman Rao, Karunakar Nishal and Mohammed Sadhu. The chargesheet, running into about 300 pages, contains 30 witness depositions, including those of police personnel, and related documents. A supplementary chargesheet might follow, said police sources.