Cuttack, June 20: The stage is set for the trial of gangster siblings Sushant Dhal Samant, 45, and Sushil Dhal Samant, 42, in two of the 19 cases police have registered against them since their arrest on January 29.

The siblings will face trial in the two cases in the court of the judicial magistrate first class (JMFC), Cuttack. "The court of JMFC, Cuttack, has framed charges against Sushant and Sushil for trial in the excise case registered in connection with the seizure of liquor from their residence at Markatnagar during raids following their arrest," additional public prosecutor Biswajit Baral said.

The court has also framed charges against Sushant for trial for possessing a forged driving licence, Baral said. "The police had filed a charge sheet in the case on the basis of a forged driving licence seized from the rented house at Vishakapatnam that was being used by Sushant," he said. The gangster was allegedly using a driving licence issued in another name.

The court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Cuttack, has so far, forwarded to trial courts three of the 15 charge sheets the police had filed before it against the siblings. The charge sheet pending before the district sessions court for framing of charges involved Sushil as an accused under the Arms Act.

The investigation had linked Sushil to the firearms seized during the arrest of two of their alleged associates - Sangram Routray (Jobra Puja Committee secretary) and Sulekh Sahu of Ranihat. Subsequently, a charge sheet under Section 25 of the Arms Act was filed against Sushil in the case registered in connection with seizure of firearms from the residences of Sangram (one mauser pistol and six rounds of live bullets) and Sulekh (one mauser pistol and two single guns along with 11 rounds of live ammunition).

The siblings were arrested for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of an associate, Dipu alias Manoj Malick. The police filed a charge sheet in the case on May 26, naming the brothers as accused along with 12 others.

Custody remand

A special designated court here remanded Oscar Group of Companies chairman Pravas Chandra Rout to judicial custody today.

He was remanded to judicial custody under the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) Act, 2011, in connection with alleged fraud using the deposit collection company.

"The special designated court judge Santosh Mohapatra passed the order when the economic offences wing of the state CID-crime branch's produced him in court on completion of his five-day remand," special public prosecutor of the case Nilambar Jena said.

The court also sent one of the directors of the group, Prabat Kumar Patnaik, whom the wing arrested today, to judicial custody. "The court has fixed June 28 as the next date of production," Jena said.