Suspended Orissa top cop ready to surrender

GIVING IN? Mahanti says he is ready to surrender before the Rajasthan police in two weeks time.

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Suspended cop Mahanti 'will' surrender in 14 days

IPS officer accused of shielding rape-convicted son.

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• Suspended cop Mahanti 'will' surrender in 14 days
• Desperate measures: Govt tries back-door route to J-K peace
• Stung by HC verdict, RK Anand defends himself

Keywords: Orissa, Supreme Court

Bhubaneshwar: For four months, the former Orissa DJP, BB Mahanti and also the father of rape accused Bitti Mahanti has been absconding.

But now, Mahanti, accused of protecting his son, claims he is ready to surrender before the Rajasthan police in two weeks time.

It was a claim that was made in the Supreme Court by his counsel on the condition that his bail hearing was set for the same day.

But the SC was not impressed with this argument and dismissed his petition and the Orissa government echoed the Apex Court's view.

"If he surrenders, I assure whatever is needed according to law, action will be taken against him. Nobody is above law,” says Orissa Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.

However, unanswered questions linger including:

• Will Mahanti senior surrender at all considering he has been on the run since August 2007?
• How has he evaded the police of two states for the last four months?
• How did CNN IBN contact him in Cuttack two months ago when the Orissa government claimed it did not know where he was?
• And the biggest question is---where is his son Bitti?

Sources have told CNN-IBN that Bitti could have been smuggled abroad by his father immediately after jumping parole in December 2006.

That is just one of the serious charges that Orissa's once top cop needs to answer when and if he does surrender.