Bhubaneswar, November 10: Former BJD MLA Bikram Panda appeared before Gosaninuagaon police for the third time on Tuesday in connection with the murder of advocate Pitabash Panda. He was reportedly questioned over allegations of threatening a witness over the phone.

Accompanied by two lawyers, Bikram Panda recorded his statement and said he had fully cooperated with the investigation. He denied threatening or influencing any witness, calling the allegations baseless.

His lawyer, Deepak Patnaik, questioned the police move to seek court permission for collecting Panda’s voice sample, pointing out that he had already been questioned twice before the chargesheet was filed.

Former jail doctor Sukanta Panigrahi also appeared before the police in connection with the murder case. The investigation is ongoing.