The Brahmapur police on Thursday said they have found evidences about arrested former Congress MlA Ramesh Jena’s criminal network in and outside Odisha and they will reopen all cases pending against him at various police stations.
“We have found evidences that Ramesh Jena has criminal network in Odisha, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. He has been into gutkha and liquor businesses for long. Besides, he used to fix tenders and collect extortion money,” Brahmapur SP Sarthak Sarangi told a Press conference here.
He said allegations in these regards are now pouring in and, hence, the police have initiated steps to arrest all his aides. Jena’s father has a country liquor making unit at Bhabinipur, he said.
“Jena has 30 cases pending against him in Brahmapur, 12 in Ganjam and one at the Kharavel Nagar police station in Bhubaneswar. People are now coming forward to file complaints against him. We will reopen all cases and investigate,” he said.
He also informed that a police team has been formed to investigate investment of ill-gotten money of Jena.
“While one team has been formed to search and arrest Jena’s associates, another team is going to probe his investment aspects. Jena has invested his ill-gotten money in land and sand businesses,” he said.
He further said the police have got evidences that Jena has properties in Kolkata and Vizag. “If needed, we will apply to court to take Jena on a further remand,” he said.
Sarangi also informed police have seized Jena’s 25 to 30 bank accounts so far.
Responding to a media query, he stated that the police would also investigate whether Jena has any links with the Dhalsamant brothers or not.
IGP Amitabh Thakur said police conducted raids on Jena’s Gambhariguda house on Thursday morning and seized two mousers and some objectionable documents. Two people filed cases against Jena on the day, he said.
Notably, Jena is now on a five-day police remand which will end on Saturday.