Odia singer Murali Mohapatra collapses and dies while performing on stage
Bhubaneswar(PTI): Popular Odia singer Murali Mohapatra collapsed and died while performing at a Durga Puja cultural event in Odisha's Koraput district, his family said.
Mohapatra, who was reportedly unwell, suddenly sat down on a chair on the stage after singing four songs in Jeypore town. When taken to a hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.
He died of a heart attack late on Sunday night, his brother Bibhuti Prasad Mohapatra said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled the death of Mohapatra.
Saddened to know about the demise of popular singer Murali Mohapatra. His sweet voice will always ignite the hearts of listeners. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to his family, Patnaik said in a Twitter post in Odia.
The incident reminded people of singer KK's death at a hotel after a concert in Kolkata earlier this year.
Mohapatra was also a government employee working at the office of the Jeypore sub-collector. He was set to retire from service nine months later.
The singer's friend Prasant Kumar Mishra said Mohapatra had informed the audience that he was unwell and requested all to cooperate if there was any mistake.
Mohapatra used to follow the singing style of legendary Odia singer, songwriter and composer Akshaya Mohanty. People used to describe him as "Akshaya Mohanty of Jeypore".
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CBI searches premises of ED officer in Shimla, seizes cash
New Delhi, Dec 28: The CBI has searched the premises of an assistant director of the ED in Shimla, who managed to give a slip to the agency during a trap operation on Sunday and escaped, officials said.
The assistant director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) posted at Shimla and his brother Vikas Deep, a senior manager in the Punjab National Bank in Delhi, had allegedly gone to Chandigarh to receive bribe money from a businessman, who is facing a case lodged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
The businessman filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about alleged extortion, based on which the Chandigarh unit of the agency planned the trap operation where the complainant was asked to give a bribe of Rs 55 lakh in cash to the officer with CBI sleuths keeping an eye, the officials said.
It was planned that the CBI would nab the accused after the bribe was allegedly received by him, they said.
The ED officer, who is on deputation from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), got alerted during the operation and allegedly fled the spot with the cash, the officials said.
The agency has been trying to locate him for six days. It has even launched technical surveillance to pin-point his location but to no avail.
The CBI conducted searches at his residence on Friday and seized cash amounting to around Rs 56 lakh, the officials said.
So far, cash amounting to around Rs 1 crore, including the bribe amount, has been recovered, they added.
The car used by the absconding officer to escape was also located at the ED office, the officials said.
The CBI has arrested Vikas Deep in connection with the case and produced him before a court, they said.
The agency is questioning him regarding his alleged involvement in the case.
Sources in the ED said the accused assistant director of its Shimla sub-zonal office and his supervisory officers -- a deputy director and the joint director (based in Chandigarh) -- have been transferred to Delhi following the case.
