Cuttack: A few hours after being taken into custody for killing his wife, actress Laxmipriya Behera alias Nikita, Lipan Sahu was sent to judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected by a local court here Tuesday afternoon, a senior Chauliaganj police official said.
Prosecution lawyer Biswajit Baral said Lipan was produced before the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) court here in the afternoon and was sent to Choudwar circle jail after his bail plea was turned down by the court.
Lipan has been arrested under Sections 302 (murder), 102 (criminal conspiracy), 120B (conspiracy) and 498A (torture) apart from other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
DCP Akhilesvar Singh said Lipan’s father Lingaraj Sahu and mother Kuntala were supposed to be interrogated in the afternoon. “However, they didn’t turn up. We’ll ensure that they join the probe by Wednesday,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, Lipan’s sister Sonam broke her silence and spoke to the media defending her family. “Nikita had a very bad temper and she often picked up quarrels with my family,” Sonam pointed out, adding that she is yet to believe that her brother had killed Nikita.
On the other hand, Nikita’s father Sanatan said that Lipan might only be an accused before the law but for him he is a murderer. “Lipan’s father and mother are the conspirators and I’ve full faith on the judiciary. The culprits will be behind the bars soon,” Sanatan said.
Notably, Sanatan had approached the Chauliaganj police with a written complaint January 6 alleging that Lipan, his father and mother had killed the actress.
Chauliaganj IIC Ajay Das said Lipan being the only son, his parents always desired to have a down-to-earth daughter-in-law who would share her income with them. However, being a fashionista, it was not possible for Nikita. Ultimately, things ended up tragically,” Das said.
