Nayagarh murder case: SIT interrogates prime suspect

BHUBANESWAR: The special investigation team (SIT) on Saturday questioned Babuli Nayak, the ‘prime suspect’ in the Nayagarh girl’s murder, as well as his son and one of their drivers, Bijay Behera, police sources said.
IPS officer Arun Bothra, who heads the SIT, briefed DGP Abhay about the investigation’s progress in a meeting here. He is believed to have got some vital clues in connection with the alleged kidnap and murder of the five-year-old in July.
Bothra said the SIT should be given some time before expecting it to solve the case.“We are working hard. We should be given 14 days,” Bothra told the media.

Another SIT member said the probe team checked all the rooms in the three-storied house of Nayak. “Nayak and his son were examined for about one hour while driver Behera was interrogated for more than two hours. The SIT collected details of the vehicles owned by Nayak as well as information about their drivers. The team has got some clues,” the officer claimed.
Sources said Behera was interrogated twice – first in a circuit house in the presence of Bothra and again by a team of officers at Nayagarh Town police station.
Meanwhile, two separate political teams, one led by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra and another by Congress general secretary in-charge of Odisha, A Chellakumar, met the girl’s parents, Ashok Sahoo and Saudamini, at their native place in Jadupur village.
Speaking to the media, Patra reiterated the BJP demand for minister Arun Sahoo’s resignation and a CBI probe into the crime. “The probe can’t be impartial as long as Sahoo continues as a minister. The whole of Odisha know who is the culprit. Shockingly, no one has been arrested even five months after the murder,” Patra said.
The BJP has been accusing Sahoo of shielding Nayak, husband of a former Zilla Parishad member of the BJD. The girl’s parents had earlier named Nayak as the person behind the crime.
Chellakumar demanded capital punishment for the culprit.
“The Congress has been demanding an impartial probe from the very beginning. However, the BJP is doing narrow politics on the sensitive issue,” he said.
BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty said the opposition should refrain from doing petty politics.
“The SIT is doing its job. It will unravel the truth,” Mohanty said.