BERHAMPUR: Former Congress MLA of Sanakhemundi, Ramesh Jena and four others were remanded in judicial custody on Monday after their bail pleas were rejected by SDJM here.
A team of Berhampur Police on Sunday had arrested Jena, his father Arakhita and three of his associates Premchandra Panda, Ramkrushna Padhy and Jagat Behera from Bhubaneswar in connection with two bomb explosion cases.
Jena, though, claimed that he was innocent and urged for a high-level impartial inquiry into the cases.
ASP of Berhampur, Trinath Patel said on February 8 and 28, miscreants hurled bombs at two houses in Bhabaninagar. During investigation, police came to know that the miscreants were hiding in Jena's house at Bhubaneswar. Police seized a revolver and five rounds of bullets from Jena's car and brought him along with the other three to Berhampur. Subsequently, raids were also conducted at Jena's house at Bila Street in the city. Another revolver, cash of `10.7 lakh, over 40 voter ID cards, four bank passbooks of different banks and 113 land documents were seized. Arakhita was also arrested on Sunday night. Patel said Jena, a history sheeter, was involved in extortion from gutka and liquor traders, sand contractors and realtors in Ganjam and other districts. Investigation is also on to find out Jena's involvement in illegal arms trade in the State.
To a querry on Jena's link with Dhal Samanta brothers, the ASP said Jena is bigger than them. He added that two Congress councillors of BeMC were detained for questioning as they are close associates of Jena. If found guilty, they will also be arrested.
Meanwhile, the Congress leaders have threatened to gherao the District Police Headquarters on March 11 if Jena is not released by then. Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati said the ruling BJD was apprehensive about the growing popularity of Jena in Ganjam district.