Bhubaneswar: Police on Tuesday said Unmaya Padhi, whose half-burnt body was found near the Kuakhai riverbed last week, was the mastermind behind the circulation of obscene videos featuring him and a 26-year-old woman.

The police said an analysis of the details of the half-burnt dongle found from the spot revealed that Padhi had shared the clippings on various adult websites a day before his murder. "He had also created a WhatsApp group that included friends of the woman and shared the videos. However, we are yet to find a possible angle of revenge by the woman and her friend," said a police officer.

The officer also said Padhi was a technology freak and had cut the entire recording of his intimate scenes into small segments. "The deceased had used an app, which does not allow the receiver to save videos, to send the clippings to the girl," said the cop. The police had arrested Padhi in March last year in connection with the videos after a complaint lodged by the woman.

On Tuesday, the cops let off the woman and her friend after questioning. "We thou-ght that it could be related to revenge, but after interrogating the woman and her friend we could not find any substantial evidence. We may interrogate her again if necessary," added the police officer.

Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said: "Our team is working on all possible angles and we are hopeful of coming to a conclusion in a week."