Berhampur, Nov 21: Police on Friday have taken four key accused in the murder of lawyer and BJP leader Pitabas Panda on remand for further interrogation, as the investigation intensifies into the shooting that took place October 6. More than 16 individuals have so far been arrested in connection with the case and are lodged in Berhampur Jail.

The latest development comes after the investigating officer, Town SDPO Priyas Ranjan Chhotray, sought custody of the accused from the SDJM court to carry out face-to-face questioning and recover additional evidence. The court granted the request, and Uma Bisoyi, Jogindra Rout, Chintu Pradhan and Kurupati Bhuyan were taken on a two-day police remand on Thursday.

Senior police officials conducted back-to-back interrogations at Baidyanathpur Police Station to verify the statements of the accused and track possible leads in the conspiracy behind the murder. Police also questioned another individual who had previously been summoned twice and released, according to sources.

Also Read: Pitabash Panda Murder Case: Kurupati Bhuyan, Chintu Pradhan Identified in TI Parade

Meanwhile, a court has rejected a plea filed by the counsel of arrested lawyer Madan Dalai seeking conditional release. Dalai’s advocate Deepak Pattanayak argued that his client was arrested without sufficient legal grounds, but the application was dismissed.

In a parallel development, Panda’s family has reportedly requested police to withdraw the security cover that had been deployed for their protection following the incident.

Earlier, on November 15, eight of the arrested accused -- Uma Bisoyi, Kurupati Bhuyan, Chintu Pradhan, Jogindra Rout, Sisupal Paswan, Kundan Kumar, Simanchal Nayak and Bipin Swain -- underwent a Test Identification Parade inside Berhampur Circle Jail in the presence of a magistrate. Police and prosecution officials were also present to record witness responses.

Investigators continue to push for successive remands as they work to assemble evidence and finalise the chargesheet in the high-profile case.