Cuttack, March 14: Police today shifted the gangster siblings - Sushant and Sushil Dhal Samant - from Choudwar circle jail to Jharpada and Balasore prisons amid tight security.
The cops also interrogated a woman councillor of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation for the second time for her alleged link with the gangster brothers.
A senior official said Sushant would now be lodged in an isolated cell inside Jharpada jail, while his younger brother Sushil would now cool his heels at Balasore jail.
The duo had been lodged at Choudwar circle jail since their arrest on January 29 and were shifted today to different jails after a Cuttack court granted a police petition that had expressed apprehension that there was possibility of the gangsters running their criminal network from Choudwar prison.
Sources said the main objective was not to give any scope to the gangster siblings to regroup with their associates, who were also lodged in Choudwar jail.
In a related incident, a team of Mahila police today interrogated Ranjita Biswal, a BJD councillor of ward No. 7, for her alleged links with the Dhal Samant brothers.
According to sources, the cops today quizzed Biswal for the second time regarding her involvement in the Cuttack Nagar Yuvak Sangha, founded by Sushil, as well as its financial dealings and other activities.
The police had, on February 9, served a notice on Biswal to appear for interrogation in connection with her association with the sangha.
The police have also started a probe to ascertain the exact involvement of the gangster siblings in construction of the Japan International Co-operation Agency-assisted integrated sanitation project in the city.
The police suspect that the siblings were controlling the construction - which was evident after Cantonment police last night arrested Sudhir Choudhry, a liasoning officer of Tantiya Constructions.
Sources said Choudhry was engaged in the Tantiya Constructions, one of the executing agencies in the sanitation project by the Dhal Samant brothers.
It is suspected that the criminal brothers through Choudhry were getting information about the ongoing activities, and at the same time, recruiting their close associates in various works in the project.
On February 26, Markatnagar police had arrested Choudhry on charges of assaulting a sanitation project official. He was subsequently release on bail.
Earlier, the police also grilled a few officials of the Hyderabad-based Ramky Environ Engineers, engaged in the solid waste management, for their alleged links with the Dhal Samant brothers. The Cuttack Municipal Corporation had, on March 11, decided not to renew the agreement with Ramky following such allegations.
The municipal corporation had signed a five-year agreement with Ramky for solid waste management and mechanical sweeping of roads in 2011.
"As the Ramky officials failed to comply with the criteria in solid waste management system under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the council decided not to renew the private player's agreement," said Cuttack mayor Minakshee Behera. The agreement would end on April 30.
