BHUBANESWAR:The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch will take notorious gangster Sheik Usman Ali alias Tito on a fresh four-day remand starting July 30.STF sources said the agency has roped in a chartered accountant and two bankers to assist them in ascertaining the financial trail of the gangster, his family members and associates.
“So far, we have received information about five accounts related to Tito with deposits of at least `50 lakh. The gangster has invested mostly in property and heavy vehicles. We are yet to ascertain the total value of his immovable assets and have urged Inspector General of Registration Revenue and Disaster Management Department and Odisha e-Governance Services Limited to supply information and documents related to Tito’s property,” an STF officer told The Express.
Earlier, the agency had initiated the process of freezing more than 50 bank accounts of Tito, his wife Benazir Bibi and 18 other relatives. These accounts were in 34 banks. STF will question Tito further about his crime syndicate and businesses. The agency has also not ruled out the possibility of the gangster’s connection with the underworld or some radical elements after some scriptures were recovered from his house.
Thought the STF has succeeded in arresting Tito and some of his key associates, the gangster’s illegal businesses are still run by his brothers who are at large. Tito’s brothers are operating the businesses from their hideouts, a resident of Pattamundai claimed.
On July 28, Kendrapara Police registered four murder cases against Tito. During interrogation, the gangster confessed before the STF that he had gunned down engineer Debashish Sahoo on December 21 last year at Chakada village after the latter refused to pay him an extortion of `10 lakh. Two years back, contractor Kedar Swain was also gunned down at Shyamsundarpur village within Kendrapara Sadar police limits by Tito and his associates after he refused to pay `5 lakh to them. Tito had also killed contractors Rajkishore Behera and Aswajit Sahoo over refusal to pay extortion money.