Chagala arrives at the court. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 13: While Sandeep Acharya alias Raja, the prime accused convicted today in the judo coach Biranchi Das murder case is a known figure in the state’s crime world, not many were aware of the antecedents of Akhaya Behera alias Chagala, his accomplice who was also held guilty by the fast track court.

Sources said that 36-year-old Chagala, hailing from Badhei Sahi under Mangalabag police station area of Cuttack, has nearly 19 cases in his name in different police stations of the Silver City and Bhubaneswar. Almost 17 of these cases were filed against him in Cuttack alone.

“He is a hardcore criminal who stepped into the world of crime in 1994,” said an official of the Mangalabag police in Cuttack. Police filed the first case against him long back following a brawl in dense Cuttack locality (sahi). He came in contact with Raja who also began his crime career in Cuttack.

The Biranchi murder case was perhaps the first high profile crime committed by Chagala who sprung a surprise by turning up at a private TV channel office in Bhopal on April 22, 2008 in the wale of the murder after being on the run for over a week. Chagala is said to have accompanied Raja to the judo hall where Biranchi was shot dead on April 13, 2008.

During his confession in the Bhopal office of the private TV channel, Chagala had claimed that Raja was innocent.

He had alleged that five persons including IAS officer Priyabrata Patnaik, Jubilee Sunderray,brother of special relief commissioner, N.K.Sunderray, album actresses Leslie and Bidusmita and Bidusmita’s brother Arun Mantri had hatched a conspiracy to kill Biranchi.

The convict had also claimed that he was offered Rs. 10 lakh for killing the judo coach. Of this, Rs two lakh was paid to him in advance, he said.

However, subsequent investigation proved that Chagala had spun a yarn to mislead the police.

The gangster had also sought to malign Biranchi accusing him of having received heft donations from foreign countries to promote the six-year old running prodigy Budhia Singh.

After Chagala appeared on television, the Commissionerate of police deputed a four-member team under the leadership of senior police officer Suresh Mohapatra to bring him back to Bhubaneswar for interrogation.

“A systematic and thorough investigation process has resulted in the conviction of Chagala and the murder master-mind Raja,” said police commissioner B.K. Sharma.

On the other hand, Chagala’s advocate Rabi Narayan Samantaray said his client was innocent and they would challenge the fast track court’s order in the higher court.