Cuttack: A petition was filed in Orissa High Court Wednesday seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged high-profile link of notorious Dhalasamanta brothers and their involvement in illegal arms trade.
Petitioner Pradip Pradhan, a rights activist, made the Union government, the state government, CBI and the twin city commissionerate police (CP) parties to the case.
Pradhan, in his petition, alleged that the ongoing police investigation has revealed the inter-state crime network of Dhalasamanta brothers. Police have seized at least nine firearms including one sophisticated carbine from the siblings.
The petitioner claimed Sushant Dhalasamanta and Sushil Dhalasamanta have confessed before the police that they had illegally procured the carbine from Kanpur Ordnance Factory in lieu of Rs 2 lakh. “It is suspected that Dhalasamanta brothers were in touch with a few defence personnel to procure the carbine. Only CBI officials are competent enough to find out the criminal siblings’ close proximity with the defence personnel and arms smugglers,” the petition said.
According to the petition, Dhalasamanta brothers were able to maintain their network due to their close association with a few powerful politicians. “The police are not competent enough to trace the political and high-profile link of Dhalasamanta brothers,” said the petitioner. Sushil Dhalasamanta had tried to launch a political outfit by creating Cuttack Nagar Yuvak Sangha, a youth organisation, the petitioner alleged.
The petitioner informed the court that a few leaders of all three major political parties—BJP, BJD and Congress—including a Central minister were present in a two-day programme organised by the Cuttack Nagar Yuvak Sangha in the silver city in January this year. PNN
Court verdict on polygraph test today
Cuttack: The sub-divisional judicial magistrate court of Cuttack Sadar Wednesday heard a petition seeking polygraph test on gangster siblings—Sushant and Sushil Dhalasamanta—and asked the commissionerate police (CP) to seek the consent of the accused duo to carry out the test as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court.
The court asked the CP to produce the siblings before it Thursday before it pronounces the verdict in this regard.
Sources said the CP had filed the petition with the court seeking to carry out lie detection test on the criminal brothers. The CP informed the court that they have extracted crucial information from the siblings during interrogation. But they have hidden vital information about their criminal activities and dodged many questions asked by the CP. They also confessed to have murdered Manoj Mallick alias Dipu and Om Prakash Swain. It is necessary to carry out polygraph test on the duo, CP said.
On the other hand, the counsel of the gangster brothers opposed the polygraph test. He said the CP has taken the brothers on remand and are interrogating them in the custody. So it is not necessary to conduct polygraph test on them.
