Cuttack, Aug. 13: Police have arrested an associate of the gangster duo — Sushant and Sushil Dhal Samant — in illegal transactions such as tender fixing, supply of ammunition and extortion from sand quarries.

“Tapan Kumar Routray alias Kulu, 45, was arrested last night. He was the principal associate of Dhal Samant brothers. He is the main financial liasing partner, who was active in dealing with extortion of sand quarries and paying a monthly cash of Rs 50 lakh to the gangster siblings, along with about Rs 1 crore per month from other extortions such as tender fixing in offices of the roads and buildings division and the drainage and barrage division and other sand quarries,” said deputy police commissioner Sanjeev Arora.

Kulu had been absconding since the arrest of the don siblings. Last night, a police team tracked him down to a rented house at Sector-VI in Markatnagar.