Berhampur, Aug. 26: Gopinath Gajapati's daughter Kalyani Devi was back in Paralakhemundi 20 years after she had left the town. But today the royal scion walked up to the main gate of the Gajapati Palace, said a silent prayer and returned to Chennai without entering it.

Kalyani's visit assumes significance in the background of the suicides of Gopinath's former manager Ananga Patra, personal assistant Sanjaya Patra and two of their siblings barely 500metres away from the Paralakhemundi palace on August 21.

The suicides happened in the aftermath of charges that Ananga and Sanjaya had kept Gopinath under house arrest allegedly to usurp palace properties. Following popular uproar, the state government had stepped in and shifted Gopinath to a Chennai hospital, where Kalyani is taking care of her ailing father.

With palace keys in her hand, Kalyani today went up to the main gate and prayed for her father's good health with folded hands before leaving for Chennai.

She said Sanjaya had given her the palace keys when he had accompanied Gopinath to the Chennai hospital.

Kalyani, who remained mostly reticent throughout her presence in Paralakhemundi, is believed to have told a few people close to her that she would hand over the keys to the crime branch after consulting her father.

Kalyani's visit after a gap of two decades stirred fond memories in those who knew her.

Brundabati Patnaik, 75, of Palace Street recalled Kalyani's earlier visits to the palace.

"Kalyani Devi used to regularly visit the palace till 1996, but she suddenly stopped coming," he said.

A graduate in economics and sociology from Christ College, Bangalore, Kalyani has been living in Chennai and is believed to have turned spiritual of late.

Sources close to her said the crime branch team probing into the Gajapati Palace intrigue and the death of the four siblings was likely to visit the palace to check a few records and documents.

Earlier in the day, crime branch sleuths went to Purunapatana and interrogated Kalyani regarding family properties and the ongoing dispute over them.

Kalyani, who spent the last night at a lodge at the nearby Purunapatana in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, said: "I did not know my father's life was in danger and that he had requested the police superintendent to provide round-the-clock protection to him, his family members and the employees of the Gajapati Palace on December 29, 2015. Subsequently, armed police was deployed there."

She also hinted that all was not well in the family.

"There have been calculated strategies to create a rift between me and my father," she said and thanked the people and chief minister Naveen Patnaik for Gopinath's timely treatment.

Kalyani said she would revisit Paralakhemundi after Gajapati's health improved.

"I will come with my father," she said.

On her arrival at Paralakhemundi on Thursday, Kalyani received a rousing welcome. She offered prayers to goddess Nilama at Purunapatana for the speedy recovery of her father. She also visited the town's Sri Jagannath Ramaswami and Manikeswari temples and offered prayers.

Thousands of people had gathered to catch a glimpse of Gopinath's daughter and raised slogans in her name. She also spoke to the district administration about the construction of a new Jagannath temple in place of the old one that was demolished.

Probe team

The special team of the crime branch visited branches of several banks to ascertain financial transactions of Ananga Manjari, her two brothers and a sister. The team also visited a readymade garment shop owned by Santosh Patra, one of Ananga's brothers who also committed suicide. His shop had been lying closed since August 15.

Police sources said that the team did not found anything substantial - in terms of cash and property - from the four persons who had committed suicide.