The special squad of the Brahmapur police with the help of the Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police on Sunday detained former Congress Sanakhemundi MlA Ramesh Jena and his two associates by raiding his Khandagiri apartment here for their alleged complicity with a bombing case in Brahmapur.
Cops were interrogating them at an undisclosed place.
Police also seized two guns, five rounds of live bullets and cash of Rs10 lakh from the house of Jena located in Bilasahi in Aska Road in Brahmapur.
The former MlA, however, pleaded innocence. “I don’t know why police picked me up inmidnight. I have no idea why they did so,” Jena told reporters while being taken away by the police amid heavy security.
DGP KB Singh said that about 20 cases were pending against Jena, who was being questioned about his involvements with illegal gutkha manufacturing among other criminal activities.
Even though the present exact location of Jena and his aides was not known, his supporters, including women, gathered in front of the Brahmapur town police station and attempted to enter it demanding release of the detained Brahmapur Municipal Corporation (BMC) Corporator and Jena’s close aide R Murali Mohan. The cops resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, police also detained Jena’s father Arakhita Jena, BMC Corporator R Murali Mohan and Ranjit Nayak at the Brahmapur police station for interrogation.
The Brahmapur police had been on a manhunt to nab Prem Panda alias Bapi for hurling bombs at the residence of Brahmapur Congress Corporator Ranjit Nayak on February 9 and 29.
The cops raided Jena’s Bhubaneswar house after being tipped off about Bapi’s presence there.
Notably, the Bhubaneswar police had attempted to raid Jena’s house here earlier on February 1, 2011 when aides of Jena had opened fire at the police. Jena visited this house rarely after the incident. However, of late, he had started visiting it frequently leading to suspicion.