Berhampur, Nov 3: In a major development in the Pitabas Panda murder case, two key accused- Uma Bishoyi and sharpshooter Kurupati Bhuyan surrendered before the police on Monday.

Lawyer and BJP leader Pitabas Panda was shot dead on the 6th of last month. Since the incident, police have arrested 14 individuals in connection with the case, while Bishoyi and Bhuyan had been on the run.

Earlier, on the 22nd, police filed a chargesheet against BJD district president Bikram Kumar Panda and 12 others. Subsequently, two more accused- Jaypur resident Sunil Hota and BJD leader Shunya Das- were also taken into custody and are currently being interrogated.

Police sources said the surrender of Uma Bishoyi and Kurupati Bhuyan is likely to reveal significant information related to the conspiracy and execution of the murder. Both accused hail from the same village and have multiple criminal cases registered against them.