Another vehicle of Ramesh Jena seized; police suspect dacoit link

Bhubaneswar: More skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard of former Congress MLA Ramesh Jena in connection with his criminal empire. A day after seizing five vehicles, including one luxurious car in Berhampur, belonging to Jena, the Commissionerate police on Monday seized one more vehicle allegedly belonging to the ex Sanakhemundi MLA from Mancheswar area here today.

Though the ownership of the vehicle, a Mahindra Scorpio, is yet to be ascertained, police claim it belongs to Jena.

The assertion by the police came after it nabbed a gang of four dacoits from Naharkanta area in Cuttack this morning. During the seizure, the police came upon a photograph in which one of the gang members, Santosh Behera, was seen posing with two vehicles of Jena.

The suspicion about Jena’s links with Behera, who also hails from Berhampur, grew as one of the photographed vehicles was asking the ones seized by police yesterday.

Police sources said during interrogation, it will try to establish the triangular connection among Behera, the former Congress legislator and their criminal empire, if any.

If such revelations come to fore, police will be able to register cases based on this, sources added.

Police have so far seized five vehicles belonging to the former Congress MLA, together worth more than Rs 2 crore, from different parts of the State.

Trinath Patel, Additional SP, Berhampur, said, “A Volkswagen Jetta was recovered in a raid in Bhubaneswar. A Lexus bearing a fake registration number was also found there. The ownership of the vehicle has not been established yet.”

Meanwhile, police took Jena on a fresh remand for seven days after completion of his five-day remand today.