Cops grill Tito’s wife Benazir, ex-councillor

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Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch (CB) grilled Hifzul Rehman, the former councillor of Ward-16 in Kendrapara district, in connection with his alleged links with gangster Tito. Another person named Sanjay Rout was also interrogated by CB sleuths at the STF office here Friday.
Both of them were summoned by the CB to appear before it after vital information regarding them was found during the probe.
Tito was produced in the Kendrapara SDJM court as his four-day remand ended. The police would appeal to extend the Tito’s remand for interrogation regarding his business, Ollywood links and other illegal acts.
A team of the special task force (STF) of the CB also interrogated Tito’s wife Benazir Bibi to find out criminal links in the properties registered in her name.
She owns several petrol pumps, an Audi car and movable and immovable properties. The team led by a DSP had two lady officers of the CB. Later, the CB produced Bibi in court seeking five days remand.
STF officials have traced a luxury car worth `60 lakh belonging to Tito and froze five of his bank accounts in Kendrapara district. The investigating officers also went to the Civil Supplies Office (CSO) for ascertaining how Tito was given permission to open a filling station despite his criminal background.
The CB has already begun the process for freezing the bank accounts of Tito alias Syed Usman Ali, his wife and 16 of their relatives. The CB came across 50 accounts belonging to Tito and his relatives in 34 banks.
The CB has registered several cases against Tito. Tito is accused of extorting `70 lakh from a contractor who was executing work at Aul in Patamundai Irrigation Division costing `7 crore. Tito also grabbed forcibly 36 gunthas of land in Kendrapara.
The STF has also written to the tehsildars of Kendrapara, Dharmasala, Balichandrapur, Garadpur, Pattamundai, Marsaghai and Mahakalapada for information on the tendering process of Balighats and the involvement of Tito and his aides in it.
Earlier, the CB had produced Tito in the Kendrapara SDJM court and sought 10-day remand for interrogating him. However, the court granted four more days July 9. The STF had taken him on five-day remand June 4.
Meanwhile, the court allowed the CB to take Tito on a three-day remand.