Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Berhampur police’s special squad, with the help of commissionerate police, detained former Congress MLA from Sanakhemundi Ramesh Jena and two of his associates from a flat (301) at Khandagiri Heights here in the wee hours of Sunday for their alleged involvement in a number of criminal activities.
The police also seized three mobile phones and some weapons from the Jena’s rented accommodation in Khandagiri area, sources said.
“Berhampur police was on the lookout for Jena’s associate Prem Panda alias Bapi, who had reportedly hurled bombs at the residence of a political leader, Ranjit Nayak, two weeks ago. Berhampur police had learnt that Jena and Panda had come to the capital city to visit one of their associates after which they raided a flat in Khandagiri area,” said a source.
“The three who were detained were then grilled at the DCP’s office here after which two more associates of Jena were nabbed from the capital city. Berhampur police have taken Jena and his associates there to further investigate the matter,” said the source.
Berhampur police, meanwhile, resorted to baton charge on the supporters of Jena who gheraoed Sadar police station to protest the former legislator’s arrest. In February 2011, there reportedly was a face-off between the aides of the former MLA and police personnel when commissionerate police had raided Jena’s residence under Kharvelnagar police limits here.
Jena, against whom at least 11 cases have been registered, maintained that he is innocent and that he was being framed because of political vendetta.