Bhubaneswar, Jan. 31: Sushil Dhal Samant, who was arrested along with his elder brother Sushant on Friday in connection with a string of criminal cases, had recently returned from abroad.

Police said that they would verify his passport to ascertain how many countries he had travelled to.

The cops said the 42-year-old, with a fascination for luxury cars and branded watches, had recently visited Colombia and Thailand. Sources said he had also visited Syria.

During the raids, the cops had found five cars, including three Mercedes and two Audis, belonging to the criminal siblings. Two of these vehicles have been seized along with a huge cache of arms and ammunitions.

The police also suspect that the Dhal brothers were trying to follow in the footsteps of Mumbai underworld dons.

The cops have found books such as Mafia Queens of Mumbai and Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of Mumbai Mafia authored by S. Hussain Zaidi from their residence in Cuttack.

Books of some foreign authors, including The Last Don by Mario Puzo has also been found. It has been alleged that Sushil had links with Mumbai underworld. Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said that a team was conducting investigation in Visakhapatnam where Sushil's elder brother Sushant was active.

"We have also seized four pistols and 150 rounds of bullets from one of his associates. We are also trying to ascertain the exact amount of money stashed away by the siblings in various banks," said Khurania.

Sources said that the police so far have traced more than Rs 1.5 crore in various banks. They had seized cash worth more than 2.6 crore during the raid at Sushil's residence in Cuttack and his rented accommodation in Pokhariput on Bhubaneswar outskirts.

Further investigation by the police revealed that Sushil was offering monthly remuneration of Rs 10,000 to unemployed youths to work for his gang.

"The youths were also provided with a motorcycle and a pistol," said a police official. Sources also said that Sushil's gang had more than 1,000 members.

The Dhal brothers have invested in a pharmaceutical company, while Sushil has a house in Noida in Delhi and another in Goa, sources said.

In an interesting revelation, thepolice said: "Sushil used to handcuff his rivals in his house in Cuttack. We have seized two handcuffs from his house during our raid."

Both the brothers have 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.