Jagatsinghpur: The special task force of state crime branch on Sunday took into custody an accomplice of history-sheeter Sayed Usman Ali alias Tito in connection with his involvement in illegal financial transactions and various other crimes.

Dipti Ranjan Dash, 36, a businessman who owned two hotels and a glass and plywood wholesale shop in Jagatsinghpur, was taken into custody as the cops found "clinching proof of his collusion with the arrested gangster in furthering criminal activities", said STF official Rama Chandra Thamba.

A licensed revolver, 12 rounds of live cartridges, Rs 62,250 in cash and an SUV was recovered during the raid at his residence in Sippy Chowk in Jagatsinghpur town.

Simultaneous raids were also conducted at two hotels and a wholesale shop owned by him.

Dash, a graduate who hailed from a lower middle class family in Jagatsinghpur town, was closely associated with Tito's gang for the past four to five years. He acted on the behest of Tito in tender fixing of government civil construction projects. He used to extort the contractors by forcefully awarding the tender in their favour. He used to keep share of the extorted sum with the rest being routed to the gang leader's bank accounts, according to an investigating official.

Following the arrest of Tito on June 30, the STF has been able to crack the organised crime and illegal financial transaction network. More than a dozen of his key associates have been put behind the bar. The STF was keeping close watch on Dash's activities as he had amassed huge wealth in a short span, said a source.

Tito had stepped into the crime world executing petty crimes in early nineties. . His stay in jail spurred him to make foray into crime world. The criminals lodged then at the jail guided him to break law and earn easy buck. Initially he dabbled in extortion and highway robbery.