Kannur, Kerala:
The man Kerala Police say is Bitti Mohanty, convicted in the rape of a German woman in 2006, has reportedly reversed his earlier 'confession' and now claims that he is not the person wanted by the police, according to sources. He was produced in a Kerala court today.
A police team from Jaipur is on its way to Kannur to identify the man and take him into custody. "Kerala Police told us that the man worked at the State Bank of Travancore. We will confirm his identity," Lalkothi Station House Officer Sampat Singh said.
Raghav Rajan was detained by Kerala Police on Friday evening on charges of impersonation after his employer, the State Bank of Travancore, received an anonymous tip-off. He reportedly confessed in court yesterday that he was Bitti Mohanty and was sent to judicial remand.
Sources say that he had been working at the bank for seven months after he got the job using fake documents.
Meanwhile, Kerala Police is sending teams to Rajasthan, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh to trace Bitti Mohanty's trail since he jumped parole in November 2006.
Bitti Mohanty is the son of BB Mohanty, a former Director General of Police in Odisha. Bitti Mohanty had allegedly raped a German tourist in Rajasthan's Alwar district on March 21, 2006, and was convicted by a fast-track court on April 12, 2006. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. He secured parole in November 2006 to meet his ailing mother and subsequently disappeared.
His father was Director General, Home Guards and Fire Services when Bitti Mohanty committed the crime, and was accused of aiding his son's escape. He was arrested for aiding his son's escape in January 2008, but was released on bail after remaining in custody for a few days. He was also suspended but was later reinstated.