Berhampur, March 8: Police today sought a 14-day remand for former Congress MLA Ramesh Jena, who is facing charges under the Arms Act.

But, the cops did not remand for Jena's father Arkhit Jena and three of his associates - Jagat Behera, Prem Chand Panda alias Bapi and Ram Padhy alias Jacky, who were also arrested, along with Ramesh, yesterday.

Besides, the police today also arrested Congress councillor Ranjit Kumar Nayak in an extortion case. "He was sent to jail after the sub-divisional judicial magistrate of Berhampur, Sarita Mahanty, rejected his bail pleas. A case under Section 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him," said inspector in charge of Sadar police station Bhabani Khuntia.

Ranjit is allegedly involved in an extortion case threatening Jitendra Patra, a contractor of Bendalia village. The goons had threatened the contractor and asked him to cough up Rs 1 lakh after visiting his camp on February 17. He was threatened at gunpoint and the criminals had taken away Rs 10,000 from him and asked him to pay the remaining amount the next day.

Khuntia said that after the contractor lodged a complaint, the cops arrested three persons - Pintu Gouda alias Panda, 20, and Shyam Sundar Gouda alias Cheru, 20, both hailing from Lathi village and Santosh Gouda, 32, of Dakhinpur village.

Accusing the BJD of trying to demoralise the Congress, the party's district-level leaders and Berhampur Municipal Corporation councillors, led by Bhagaban Gantayat, gheraoed the office of the inspector general of police (southern range) and sat on a dharna there. "The police had detained the councillor since March 3. We had demanded them to take legal action against him or set him free. Now, they have arrested him," said district Congress committee president Gantayat. He also alleged that the police had arrested Jena in three separate cases under the instructions of Naveen Patnaik.

Incidentally, one of the charges against Jena was his alleged involvement in a bomb attack on the house of Congress councillor Ranjit Nayak.

The BJD's Lok Sabha member from Aska, Ladu Kishore Swain, said: "The police might have helped Jena for his criminal activities. Criminals like Jena were able to operate because of tacit help from the cops. The nexus must be thoroughly probed."

Excise minister Damodar Rout echoed similar views and said such kind of activities happened with patronage from various quarters.