Odisha businessman Mahima Mishra arrested in Thailand

BHUBANESHWAR: Wanted in connection to a murder in Odisha, one of the state’s richest businessman Mahimananda Mishra has been arrested in Bangkok by Thailand’s Immigration Police.

This was reported by Bangkok Post which, quoting its immigration commissioner, said Mishra and his associate Basanta Kumar Bal were arrested from a city hotel on Sunday.

Mishra, MD of Orissa Stevedores Ltd (OSL) one of India’s leading stevedoring firms, is wanted in connection with the murder of an employee of a rival stevedoring company that threatened his longstanding monopoly of the Paradip Port.

According to the Bangkok Post, Mishra who was with some of his family members and handful of security guards, had entered Thailand on a tourist visa from Nepal. Senior officials of the Odisha police confirmed the development.

The businessman whose rise has not been controversy free has been on the run since last November. A look out circular for Mishra and three other OSL’s employees had been issued after the murder, in October, of Seaways Shipping and Logistics employee Babuli Swain.

Police had questioned his wife and associates and searched his many houses in the state but failed to find Mishra.

OSL and workers unions that support it had been embroiled in an ugly fight with Hyderabad based Seaways which had bagged contracts that OSL carried out onceonce. The frequent clashes in the last two years between both sides was affecting the port controlled by the Ministry of Shipping at the Centre.

Minister Nitin Gadkari had also been dragged into the fight with Mishra's camp accusing him of vested interest.

Mishra’s company is also developing the Gopalpur port in Odisha. As ET reported last month it is waiting Government approval to sell majority stake in the project to Shapoorji Pallonji.