Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3: Evidently the infamous D-company, run by Dawood Ibrahim, holds sway over Bollywood, but in Orissa, too, a little-known D-company, managed by a little-known gangster, Dipu, had kept the Oriya music album industry under its control. He was killed last week by a special police squad.

Cuttack SP Soumendra Priyadarshi said Sangram Sahoo alias Dipu controlled the Oriya music album industry. Preliminary investigation by Cuttack Police revealed that a notebook found at Dipu?s office at Sagadia Sahi contained the names of several producers of Oriya music albums.

Starting from selection of actors, director and producers for the albums, Dipu also financed their production. Known as Dipu Bhai in the music album industry, the gangster had made a foray into the industry by preparing music audiocassettes and VCDs, the officer added.

Dipu was a close aide of dreaded gangster Padia who was murdered in 2001. After his killing, Dipu took over the reins of the gang and ran his gang through a series of murders and extortion.

The foray into album industry was Dipu?s first brush with glitz, the police stated.

The cops also said several producers were getting finance from Dipu at high interest rates.

?If any disputes arose in Oriya music album industry, Dipu played the arbitrator,? senior police officials said.

Leading music album director Saroj Satpathy said: ?The death of a riffraff like him would only clean up the industry. Though the industry is now on a slippery slope, there are at least 200 music album makers in Orissa. You can imagine what such thugs are doing in the Oriya music industry.?

The police pointed out that in an industry where production costs are low and profits are guaranteed once 20,000 cassettes or CDs move off the retail shelves, Dipu found it easier to cash in on the hype surrounding the album mania.

Though it is yet to be established how much financial control Dipu wielded in the music album industry, police believe he played a big role.

After he was shot dead, some producers and actors are said to have gone underground.

Police said the day they raided Dipu?s office at Sagadia Sahi, he, along with his associates, was discussing the production of an album.

The gangster was operating from his office under the name of Usharani Construction Company.

Police have ferreted out the details of his financial transactions and bank accounts, which are being probed.

Mangalabag police station inspector-in-charge Debesh Biswal said the police are still investigating in whose name the company was registered.

?It's too early to reveal any names,? he said.

Incidentally, the police have also established the involvement of Dipu in tender-fixing business.

According to a senior police officer, a city-based contractor had presented the ganster a Scorpio jeep as a token of gratitude for favouring him with a tender work.