Bhubaneswar, Oct. 22 -- The Odisha police today cracked the murder case of BJP leader and lawyer Pitabash Panda, arresting 12 people. Those arrested include former MLA and Ganjam district Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Bikram Kumar Panda and former Berhampur Municipal Corporation Mayor Sivshankar Dash. The arrests come a fortnight after the high-profile murder in Berhampur city.
Berhampur Superintendent of Police Saravana Vivek M said Bikram Panda and Siba Shankar Das had conspired together to eliminate Panda due to financial, personal, and political reasons. The victim, a practising lawyer and member of the Odisha State Bar Council, was shot dead at point-blank range near his house in Brahma Nagar late on October 6 by motorcycle-borne as...