Berhampur, Oct 22: In a significant development in the high-profile murder case of senior lawyer and BJP leader Pitabasa Panda, a total of eight people have been forwarded to court. These include former BJD MLA Bikram Panda, corporator Malaya Bisoi, and former mayor Shibasankara Dash.
Panda, former Berhampur MLA and Ganjam district BJD president, was summoned to the police station on Tuesday for questioning about a financial transaction linked to the case. A special police team interviewed him late into the night.
Police have arrested a sharpshooter named Chintu in Bengaluru, recovered the firearm used in the crime, and sent him to court as a suspect.
Despite several arrests, the case has remained unresolved for weeks. Southern Range IG Niti Shekhar previously stated that the investigation was nearing completion.
Notably, Pitabas Panda, a member of the Odisha State Bar Council, was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants near his Brahmanagar residence, under Baidyanathpur police limits, at around 10 pm on October 6.
He sustained gunshot wounds to the chest and was taken to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
