Key accused nabbed in Niali farmer murder

The State Crime Branch police arrested key accused Kartik Pani in the murder case of Niali farmer Krupasindhu Bhoi. Bhoi was allegedly murdered for seeking certain agriculture-related information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Investigating Officer (IO) SB Jena said Pani was interrogated for the whole day at the Crime Branch headquarters here following his arrest on Friday morning. He would be produced in court on Saturday.

Sources said the prosecution would seek Pani under police remand for at least three more days for further questioning. Notably, the 40-year-old farmer had sought information from district agriculture office about fund distribution in his block towards line-sowing of paddy, fertiliser and seeds. But he went missing on January 26 this year following which his wife on January 28 had filed a police complaint alleging that her husband had been kidnapped.

However, Krupasindhu’s body was found at a deserted riverbed in the nearby locality on January 31 after five days of his abduction. Basing on ransom calls made to the deceased farmer’s wife, the local Niali police had arrested three members of Pani’s family, including two women. But bowing to massive public outcry, the State Government entrusted the investigations of the case to the Crime Branch police, which took up the case on February 9 last.