BHUBANESWAR: The arrest of notorious Dhal Samant brothers - Sushant and Sushil - was outcome of a meticulously-planned operation by Commissionerate of Police which started in June last year.
Although the siblings were on the radar of Cuttack Police, it did not act in haste but laid out a strategy which included specific intelligence collection and tracking so that neither could escape the police net.
While police were aware of the moves of the younger sibling Sushil’s movement, it was more interested in Sushant who was the major player of the two, but was almost invisible.
Though Sushil was charged in over 12 cases, sources said in most instances, he was either out on bail or had been acquitted by the court of law. As a result, arresting him on a flimsy ground would have made no sense. He was angling for a political career which is why he indulged in charitable and blood donation camps through the youth organisation.
While police wanted to stop Sushil in his tracks, it was also equally keen to catch hold of Sushant who had acquired a fake identity in Visakhapatnam where he operated as Manoj Patnaik overseeing coal transport. He also circulated in Keonjhar, Rourkela and Mumbai.
“Taking hurried action could have backfired and alerted members of the organised system the two brothers operated. Police had also collected intelligence input about the possession of arms and ammunition by the brothers and their associates which could have disappeared had the operation not been foolproof,” sources said.
To ensure that no information was leaked out, Commissionerate of Police took a small team of officers into confidence and worked on the leads. During Dussehra last year, Cuttack Police got information that the two brothers could have had a face-off with Tito gang which could turn ugly during the festive season. Additional CP PS Ranpise and Cuttack DCP Sanjeev Arora kept a close watch on the law and order situation to thwart any such moves by the duo. Sushil, however, got wind of the fact that he was under police radar and moved out of the State for a month during October.
Meanwhile, Commissionerate Police had found out that Sushant was secretly visiting Bhubaneswar for a day or two before leaving quietly. After tracing the Pokhariput hideout of the brothers, Cuttack Police kept a surveillance. After receiving concrete intelligence, the operation was carried out successfully on January 28 night.
Contacted, Cuttack DCP Arora said, “The operation was detailed and precise and only a handful of top officers were in the know of things.”
Four More Mausers Seized
Bhubaneswar: The crackdown against the notorious Dhal Samanta brothers continued as the Commissionerate Police on Sunday seized four more .9 mm pistols and ammunition from an associate of the siblings. A team led by Cuttack DCP Sanjeev Arora tracked down the four Mausers along with 150 live cartridges in the Millennium City. With this, the total volume of seizure of the firearms has gone up to 13. On Friday, police had recovered four .9 mm pistols and 127 live cartridges, besides a double barrel gun with 20 ammunition as well as a carbine from the CDA home of Sushant and Sushil. From their Pokhariput hide-out, three Mausers and 108 live ammunition were recovered.