Nearly seven years after he vanished while serving a seven-year sentence for raping a >German national in Rajasthan , Bittihotra Mohanty, son of former Odisha Director General of Police B.B. Mohanty, was arrested by the Kerala Police on Friday night here. The arrest leaves a trail of questions involving a planned pattern of forgery and impersonation.
He was arrested based on a complaint from the State Bank of Travancore (SBT), which received an anonymous letter three days ago saying that its trainee officer Raghav Rajan was in fact Bitti Mohanty, convicted by a court in Rajasthan in 2006 and missing since his release on parole on November 20, 2006.
Now arrested on charges of impersonation, forgery and cheating, he was produced before a magistrate and remanded in police custody for two weeks.
A passport, driving licence and three SIM cards in the name of Raghav Rajan were seized from him.
Superintendent of Police Rahul R. Nair told The Hindu the police had not officially confirmed the identity of the arrested person, though they were reasonably certain about it. Final confirmation would have to await the arrival of personnel from the Rajasthan police and the Odisha police.
Rajasthan Police sources said a team was set to leave for Kannur to confirm his identity and bring him back. They would seek a transit remand to bring him to Jaipur.
Meanwhile in Cuttack, Mohanty Senior remained incommunicado. The caretakers at his house in Sector 9 of Abhinav Bidanasi said he had left the house. His mobile phone number was found switched off throughout the day. His relatives could not throw any light on his whereabouts.
