Cuttack: The arrest of a Dhal Samant aide last week has come as a blessing for police as they seek to weed out the siblings' crime syndicate in the city.

Sources said Ashish Kumar Behera alias Kanoli was "a principal associate and sharpshooter of the Dhal Samant brothers" and had been on the run since the duo's arrest in January 2016. Kanoli was the final piece in the jigsaw and was the last of the brothers' aides who ran their extortion racket since their arrest more than two years ago, the sources said.

Following the arrest of Sushant and Sushil Dhal Samant, the police had launched a massive crackdown to flush out members of their network.

The cops had made 35 arrests by July 2016 and had managed to weed out organised crimes such as extortion and tender fixing.

But the brothers allegedly continued to pull the strings from inside the jail with Kanoli, one of their key associates, still at large. The cops arrested Kanoli, 32, a resident of Chauliaganj, from a hotel on the Cuttack-Paradip Road last Thursday.

Cuttack deputy commissioner of police Akhileswar Singh said: "Kanoli was a hardcore criminal who was on the payroll of the Dhal Samant brothers and also got a share of the extortion money. He supplied arms and ammunition and also commissioned hits to other Dhal Samant associates for tender fixing, extortion and also fixing the sand lease process."

"He was a leading member of the Cuttack Nagar Yuvak Sangha that organised the criminals throughout the city," Singh said.

The police said Kanoli was wanted in connection with nine cases at Chauliaganj, two cases at Lalbag and another at Bidanasi police stations for murder, attempt to murder, using illegal firearms and other offences.

Sushant and Sushil are awaiting trials in several cases, including kidnapping and murder, tender fixing and dealing in illegal arms.