Cuttack/Bhubaneswar Jan. 29: Police today arrested criminal siblings, Sushanta Dhal Samant, 45, and Sushil Dhal Samant, 42, who had a penchant for luxury cars and watches and allegedly enjoyed the patronage of leaders cutting across political lines.

The Dhal brothers, who were wanted in a number of cases involving murder, extortion and tender fixing, were held in a pre-dawn swoop from a rented house in Pokhariput on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. They had been using the rented house as a hideout.

The police also raided the Cuttack residence of the brothers. The huge haul of cash and arms and ammunitions from the brothers has stunned the police.

The cops have recovered three revolvers, 108 live bullets, 13 mobile phones and cash worth over Rs 11 lakh from their Pokhariput den. In Cuttack, the police stumbled on cash worth Rs 2.56 crore, a few pistols, live bullets, a carbine and a double-barrel gun. They also found 18 bank passbooks and two handcuffs.

Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said Sushant and his younger brother were arrested in connection with a murder case. "The duo have been involved in a series of criminal activities since 1993. Sushant, who was wanted in three murder cases, was absconding since 2004. He is involved in 13 cases, while Sushil has 11 cases, including tender fixing and extortion, to his name," said Khurania.

The cops have seized a Mercedes and a Hyundai car from the Cuttack residence of the brothers. According to the police, Sushil had a penchant for luxury vehicles and owned as many five, including three Mercedes and two Audis.

Sources said that one of the Mercedes was priced at Rs 70.4 lakh. Sushil also had a fascination for high-end watches.

However, it was the recovery of a huge cache of arms from a cavity in the bathroom of Sushil's residence in Cuttack that sent the cops into a tizzy.

"We found four pistols, 127 live bullets of 9mm size, a carbine and a double-barrel gun along with 20 bullets from the hidden armoury," said a police officer adding that the search operation would continue tomorrow.

Sushil is alleged to have close links with political leaders of most of the major parties. He had formed an outfit called Cuttack Nagar Yuvak Sangha and organised a mega blood donation camp where more than 3,000 units were collected on a single day in the second week of January.

Several prominent political leaders, including a Union minister, were also present at another programme organised by Sushil in Cuttack on January 10.

Sushil, who is a native of Khurda district and holds a BTech degree in mining from Pune, made it big in the world of crime after he allegedly hatched a plot to kill the three Mulia brothers, who were businessmen, near Chandi Chhak in Cuttack.

"Subsequently, he launched his crime syndicate and mastered in extortion and tender fixing. It is also alleged that he fixed mining leases. As his empire grew, he started hiring unemployed youths to eliminate his rivals. It is said that he even killed aides when he apprehended their arrest. Around six of his men have either been killed or have gone missing in the past decade," said a police official.

Sources said that though his gang strength was 50, he was patronising more than 10,000 youths through his organisation.

The police said that Sushil had been arrested in 2009 following an encounter on Kargil Road in Bhubaneswar. However, he was released on bail a few months later. He was also the prime accused in the 2009 Nua Bazar double murder case in Cuttack.

On the other hand, Sushant, who had been absconding since 2004, is suspected to be involved in criminal activities in Visakhapatnam and Mumbai.

"Sushant took shelter in many states concealing his identity. We also suspect he was active in Visakhapatnam where took the name of Manoj Patnaik. An Andhra Pradesh driving licence carrying the photograph of Sushant with his false identity has been seized," said a police official.

Sushant, like his younger brother, loves SUVs and one of his vehicles carry the fancy registration number - AK-47.

The cops said both the brothers had been charged with the murder of Dipu Mallick, who had gone missing in 2013. He was earlier working for the brothers. His body is yet to be recovered though a case was registered with Chauliaganj police on court orders this month.

"Earlier, people were afraid to lodge complaints against the brothers, but we hope they will cooperate now. The police will also seek the assistance of the income tax department to ascertain the source of the huge wealth they had amassed," said Khurania.