Cuttack, Jan 19: In a significant development in Odisha’s Cuttack district, ten persons, including Litua, a notorious member of the criminal "D-Brothers" gang, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly threatening police personnel during a road dispute.
The gang members, identified as Litua alias Bharat Behera (36), Rakesh Behera (26), Dillip Kumar Sasmala (26), Om Sasmala (23), Ayush Mahanti (22), Sur alias Suresh Singh (32), Santosh Sasmala (40), Pupun Behera (22), Satyaban Samal (22), and Siddhant Omprakash (22), were detained by the police in connection with the escalating dispute over a road in Kuhneipada.
The dispute, which has been simmering for some time, centers on access to a road that runs through land owned by two parties Trilochan Pradhan of Gopalpur village, who owns the front portion, and a builder from the CDA area of Cuttack, who owns the rear portion. Initially, both parties had mutually agreed to allow shared access to the road, but recently, the rear-side landowner reportedly withdrew consent, claiming full ownership of the road and threatening Pradhan to vacate the land.
For the past two days, the rear-side landowner, along with a group of miscreants, allegedly issued threats and tried to forcefully reclaim the road. On Saturday, the group created a disturbance, prompting Pradhan to seek police protection. The situation escalated on Sunday when the accused arrived at the site with a JCB machine, began digging the road, and threatened Pradhan’s employees while brandishing weapons.
Pradhan, fearing for his safety, informed the Baranga police and filed a formal complaint with CCTV footage of the incident. In response, Baranga IIC Devendra Kumar Biswal and his team reached the scene to address the situation.
Although widespread local rumors were suggesting that the accused fired blank shots at the police and that the police retaliated with gunfire, police officials have categorically denied any such exchange. IIC Biswal clarified that no shots were fired and that the accused only verbally threatened the officers, warning them of consequences if they were detained. The accused then attempted to flee, but all ten individuals were arrested at the scene.
The police also seized a Tata Thar vehicle and two motorcycles used by the suspects. Authorities are continuing efforts to apprehend additional individuals who managed to escape.
The "D-Brothers" gang, led by brothers Sushil and Susant Dhalasamanta, has a notorious history, with the duo being linked to over 29 criminal cases, including murder, extortion, illegal arms trade, and tender fixing. They gained national attention after their arrest in 2016 in connection with the double murder of their former associates, Dipu and Om. Despite being incarcerated, sources indicate that the Dhalasamanta brothers continued to run their criminal syndicate from prison, leading to their recent transfer from Cuttack jail to other prisons for security reasons. Sushil is currently held in Bolangir jail, while Susant is in Balasore prison.
