Overview
- Former BJD MLA Bikram Panda and former Berhampur mayor Siba Shankar Das were arrested with 10 others on charges including murder and criminal conspiracy.
- Investigators say a ₹50 lakh contract was arranged for the assassination, with ₹10 lakh paid in advance, based on telephonic and other forensic evidence.
- The country-made pistol allegedly used in the shooting was recovered from a beach near the Ganjam–Puri border along with other physical and scientific evidence.
- Those arrested were produced in a Berhampur court, their bail pleas were rejected, and they were remanded to judicial custody as the probe continues.
- Police say several accused, including an alleged shooter identified as Kurupati Bhuyan, remain at large, while BJD leaders denounce the arrests as political vendetta and supporters stage protests.