Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Nov. 23: Police today cancelled the arms licence of Odisha Stevedores Limited managing directors Mahimananda Mishra, who is being investigated for his alleged role in the murder of a shipping company manager in October.
The police cancelled the licence following recommendation from their Jagatsinghpur counterparts, who are probing into the murder of Mahendra Swain, general manager of Seaways Shipping and Logistics Limited.
Four assailants gunned down Swain in Paradip on October 26. So far, the cops have arrested six persons, including three sharp shooters, for their alleged involvement in the case. The cops also cancelled the gun licence of Mishra's son Charchit, who is a company director.
According to police sources, Daraghabazar police provided the licence to the Cuttack-based industrialist and his son much before the inception of the commissionerate in 2008.
Sources said that while Mishra possessed one pistol and 30 rounds, Charchit had obtained a licence for one pistol and 25 rounds.
A team of Jagatsinghpur district police today visited the Biju Patnaik International Airport in the capital city to investigate two private aircrafts owned by Mishra's company. The cops had a photograph of the prime accused, Rakesh Choubey, using one of the aircrafts.
"There are allegations that another accused and Congress leader Bapi Sarkhel had used the aircraft. We will inquire whether both the accused used the aircraft for official or any other purpose. We will inspect the details of flying hours of both the aircrafts during the past six years," said a police official.
Mishra, on the other hand, has accused the cops of violating procedure prescribed in law while issuing a lookout notice against him in connection with the case.
Mishra, who is also the managing director of Gopalpur Ports Limited, in his petition before Orissa High Court, has claimed that the cops had issued the notice against him just one day after lodging the FIR without any preliminary investigation or taking steps to declare him an absconder.
An FIR in connection with the death of Swain was lodged on the same day as his murder. Jagatsinghpur district police issued the lookout notice against Mishra on October 28.
Mishra accused the police of proceeding "illegally and merely on the bald statement of the family of the deceased" as "the entire allegation in the FIR would go to show that the informant only suspect that the petitioner (Mahimananda Mishra) might have arranged it".
"Even the investigating officer has not filed any application before the first class judicial magistrate, Kujang, for issuance of warrant," the petition points out. Mishra also alleged that the lookout notice was "completely pre-determined and pre-meditated". In his petition, Mishra also alleged that the lookout notice was issued "in an arbitrary fashion" without issuing any notice or summonses to him to appear for investigation or interrogation in the case.
The high court has, so far, not taken up the petition, which was filed last week.
