CP writes to State to recommend higher agency to probe IBM officer’s missing

BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police after ending its inquiry into the missing of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) officer Ibrahim Shariff wrote to the Home Department to take further steps to trace the missing officer. It was said by Twin City Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma at a Press meet here on Wednesday. 

Speaking to the Press persons, Dr Sharma said they didn’t get any tangible information about the missing of the IBM officer. His team has already spent more than two months in outside of the State to trace the officer, but nothing came out at the end of the probe.

As it is an inter-State case, Sharma said, it needs to be probed by a higher agency which has branches across the country.    

Earlier, the Union Ministry of Mines had called a meeting at the IBM head office at Nagpur on Friday in the presence of Ministry officials and IBM officials of Kanpur and Bhubaneswar where they had discussed about Ibrahim’s missing. The officials had discussed about a high-level inquiry like that by the CBI to trace out the officer.

Meanwhile Ibrahim’s wife has already demanded the State Government to recommend CBI probe into her husband’s missing case.

Ibrahim, who hails from Karnataka and lives with his family at Nigam Vihar in Phase-II of Kanan Vihar in Bhubaneswar, has been untraceable after he left for his office on November 25 last year.

Paintings on Buddha unveiled

BHUBANESWAR: Maha Bodhi Society of India, Odisha Centre inaugurated a painting exhibition on the life of Lord Buddha in its temple premises at Kalinga Buddha Vihar here on Wednesday.

Eminent artist Padma Bhushan Jatin Das inaugurated the ceremony. Former Indian diplomat Abasar Beuria presided over the function.

Paintings of Lord Buddha in different positions and stages of his life starting from birth to nirvana and nirvana to mahaprayana (demise) was exhibited in the ceremony. Peoples of all walks of life thronged to Buddha Vihar to see the paintings.

Among others, Maha Bodhi Society State secretary SK Mohapatra, members of the society and noted persons were present.    

Major reshuffle in IPS level

BHUBANESWAR: In a major reshuffle in the IPS cadre officers, the State Government on Tuesday changed portfolios of at least 12 offices. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the list suggested by the Home Department and order for immediate effect.

According to the notification, Amrita Das, previously appointed as Baleswar SP, was posted as Commandant of the Odisha State Armed Police (OSAP) 7th Battalion. She replaced 2001-batch officer S Shyani who got appointed as Jharsuguda SP.

Dillip Deo was posted as SP of SIW while Bhawani Mishra had been posted as AIG Headquarters. Sanjib Aurora would be new DCP of Cuttack, while RK Singh and Praveen Kumar would be appointed as Vigilance SPs.

Similarly, Dayanidhi Gochhayat was appointed as Sundergarh SP, Dillip Das as Khordha SP, Nihar Das as Bhadrak SP, Prafulla Patra as Boudh SP and Jai Narayan Pankaj as Baleswar SP.

Security review: Cops, bankers’ meet held in city

BHUBANESWAR: Twin City Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma on Tuesday met senior bankers of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to review security for banks and ATMs. The meeting was held in the backdrop of the robbers looting cash from banks recently.

Sources said the bankers expressed concern over the recent dacoits that took place in Bhubaneswar and Khordha. The cops discussed about the measures to prevent loots from ATMs and heist during transportation of cash from banks.

Notably, three bike-borne looters had snatched Rs 17 lakh from an accountant of a private hospital at Damana Square in the city in broad daylight recently. On the same day, armed goons fired on a cash van of a nationalised bank, injured its two guards and fled with Rs 60 lakh near Biribadi under Tangi police limits in Khurda.

Two Maoists arrested, huge explosives seized in Ganjam

BRAHMAPUR: During anti-Maoist operations in a jungle near Salimagochha village under Merikote Reserve Forest in Ganjam district, the joint team of the Ganjam police and the Special Operation Group (SOG) on Saturday night arrested two Maoists and seized a huge cache of explosives after destroying a Maoist camp in the jungle, said Southern Range DIG Amitabh Thakur at a Press meet here on Sunday.

  

The Maoists were identified as Bhupati Mahanta (22) alias Papu of Tangarpada village and Govinda Moharana (24) of Tambahara village under the Harichandanpur police limits in Keonjhar district.

Bhupati confessed before the police that he was introduced to the Odisha Maovadi Party (OMP) by Gopi Mishra to act as personal courier of OMP chief Sabyasachi Panda, while Govinda was introduced into the party a few days ago by Bhupati. 

Thakur said there was exchange of fire between the police party and the suspected Maoists for about 45 minutes on Saturday morning after detection of the Maoist camp in the jungle. 

Though the security personnel nabbed two ultras from the spot, others managed to flee from the spot. The police team recovered 7.62 SLR, one magazine, 7.26 mm ammunition ball, one SBML gun, one camera, traditional sharp weapons, two bundles of electric wire, Maoists literature, medicines and other household articles from the camp, said Ganjam SP Asish Singh.

NIA team grills Maoist leader in Odisha

--Red rebel arrested in S’garh

JEYPORE/ROURKELA: A senior official of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the May 25 mayhem by Maoists on a convoy of Congress leaders at Darabha Ghati in Chhattisgarh, started quizzing a Maoist on Friday at the Circle Jail in Koraput regarding his involvement in the ambush.

The NIA team member additional SP (operation) Sanjay Kumar interrogated Maoist leader T Anil Kumar alias Chandu, a top Maoist cadre of Andhra-Odisha Border Special Divisional Committee for over 90 minutes at the jail.

Though the NIA team didn’t reveal the details of the interrogation, sources said, the team asked about the involvement of other Red rebels in the ambush and other strategic information to know the chains of Maoists moving in both States.

Notably, the wanted Maoist was arrested by the Koraput police on February 1. Later the local police had taken Chandu on a remand for a week for interrogation.

In another incident, a Maoist was nabbed by the joint forces of the District Voluntary Forces (DVF) and the CRPF during combing operations in a forest near Rengra railway station under K Balanga police limits in Sundergarh district on Friday evening. He was forwarded to the court on Saturday morning, said the local police.    

A Walkie-Talkie has also been seized from the arrested Maoist. The combing operation is currently underway.

According to reports, the joint forces on Friday evening rushed to the Rengra railway station after getting information about the presence of the Maoists. During search operations, the Maoists resorted to firing at the forces which was later retaliated by the latter.

Around ten rounds of firing exchanged between the ultras and the joint forces. The Maoists during the firing entered into a nearby jungle. Though the other duo managed to flee from the spot, a Red rebel identified as Sailai Kirei (19) of Jharkhand was caught by the forces.

The forces have intensified combing operations in the jungle to nab the other two ultras, said Bonei SDPO RB Panigrahi.                           

City college girl gang-rapped by lover, friends

BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police on Saturday arrested all four accused for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old city college girl in Bhapur forest area of Nayagarh district a day before the Valentines Day. 

The accused were identified as Santosh Panigrahi (25) alias Mitu, Daka Jena (25) alias Bapi, Bhaskar Sahoo (26) alias Lipu and Sadananda Bharatiya (22) alias Sonu- all from Kurala village in Nayagarh district. They have been booked under section 376 (D), 294, 506, 307, 363 and 342 of IPC.

The matter came to light after the victim, a plus II student hails from outside of the State, lodged a complaint on Friday night at the Mahila police station here.

According to Mahila police station IIC Sarojini Nayak, main accused Santosh who is pursuing his MCA degree in a private engineering college and staying at Bhimtangi area under Lingaraj Police limits had developed a love affair with the girl 20 days ago. The relationship between them began through phone chats, she said.

A day before the Valentine’s Day, Santosh had called the girl and taken her to his village in his bike. After a short visit to his village, he took her to the nearby Bhapur forest area apparently for sight-seeing. Without the knowledge of the girl, Santosh had asked three of his friends -Daka, Bhaskar and Sadananda to follow him in a car.

When the girl knew about the plan of her lover, she was already in trap of the four. They gang-raped the girl and dropped her at Jayadev Vihar near the girl’s hostel. While dropping the girl, they had threatened her of dire consequences if she dared to inform the police, the IIC said.

Twin City Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma said they have seized the bike and the car used by the culprits. “We have sent them to the Capital Hospital for the mandatory medical examination,” Sharma said, adding, “The victim has also been subjected to medical examination.”