BHUBANESWAR: Tightening its noose around Dhal Samanta brothers, the Commissionerate Police on Friday arrested two more associates who had assisted in the murders of Dipu Mallick and Omm Prakash Swain in 2013.
Emboldened by fresh evidence which it collected from Jharkhand and Athagarh, the Twin City Police has gone after more members of the gang which the brothers were operating to control their crime network. The police arrested Nirmal Rout and Debashsih Kar and produced them before a local court.
It was at Rout’s farmhouse in Athagarh where Dipu and Omm were murdered on November 12, 2013, Police Commissioner YB Khurania said.
The two were allegedly kidnapped to the farmhouse where they were bludgeoned to death. After killing the duo, the brothers moved their bodies to West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand in a bid to destroy evidence since they knew that sooner or later, family members of Dipu and Omm would start looking for them.
Khurania said the bodies were burnt and buried near a village under Badajamda outpost under Gua police station limits. The police and forensic teams, which had travelled to Gua, have collected samples from the spot where the bodies were disposed. It has also secured the post mortem report of Gua Police which had first stumbled upon the disposed bodies and conducted investigation. The officers of Gua Police Station were also examined by the joint team in connection with the investigation.
“We will wait for the forensic team’s reports apart from the ballistic examination. After that, we will take a call if further investigation in terms of DNA testing is required,” the Police Commissioner said.
The Commissionerate Police, which was earlier struggling to build up the murder case against the gangster brothers, has so far registered six cases and arrested seven persons by Friday. Apart from Sushant and Sushil, the others include Lipua, Bhajan, Guddu, Nirmal and Debashish. All the five were associates of the two brothers and played accomplices in the kidnapping and murder of Dipu and Omm as well as disposal of their bodies, Khurania said.
Besides, the police are on the lookout for five more persons who were involved in the crime. It has also recorded statement of nine persons under Section 164 of the CrPC before a magistrate.
Interestingly, when Dipu’s family had gone to register a case with Cuttack Police in connection with his disappearance in 2013, the complaint was not received. Police are also investigating why the case was not registered.
The police have also laid its hands on a CD in which it has found contents which points to links of various people with the brothers. It is under verification.