Bhubaneswar, Nov 9 (IANS) Four accused, including former Rajya Sabha MP N. Bhaskar Rao, on Monday surrendered before the Rayagada SDJM Court in the sensational murder case of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi.
The said accused persons surrendered before the court following the Supreme Court’s directions. On October 26, a bench of the apex court rejected the earlier bail directions while confirming the rejection of anticipatory bail and directed the accused to surrender within two weeks.
The four accused are N. Bhaskar Rao, K. Krishna Rao, Ippili Sanyasi Raju and P. Dilip Kumar. Another accused, K. Adinarayana, did not surrender, while the sixth accused, Yella Venkateswar Rao alias Kondababu, has died.
A case was registered in 2010 over the abduction and murder of Bhagirathi Mandangi, a local tribal leader. His family had accused the six persons, including Ex-MP Rao, of involvement in the crime.
Bhaskar Rao had approached the Orissa High Court challenging the non-bailable arrest warrant issued in the case by the lower court in 2024. Later, the deceased’s brother, Jagannath Mandangi, challenged the High Court’s anticipatory bail order in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court set aside the Orissa High Court’s order delivered on January 22, 2026, and directed the accused to surrender within two weeks. As the deadline ended on Monday, four of the five surviving accused surrendered. Following the surrender, the accused were sent to Rayagada Sub-Jail and placed in judicial custody.
Reacting to the development, the Tribal Mahasangha of Rayagada said the Supreme Court’s directive has raised fresh hopes for Bhagirathi’s family, which has been waiting for justice for years, and for the organisation’s long legal battle.
N. Bhaskar Rao’s lawyer, Naba Kumar Kanta, said his client surrendered in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions and was sent to judicial custody as his bail plea was rejected.
Recently, the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch on November 6 launched simultaneous searches at 11 locations linked to former Rajya Sabha MP Bhaskar Rao and others in Bhubaneswar and Rayagada district in connection with the investigation of a fraud case.
According to the EOW, the case relates to large-scale financial irregularities, criminal misappropriation of funds, extortion and criminal intimidation involving the office-bearers of a Truck Owners’ Association in Rayagada.
–IANS
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