Kendrapara: The anti-corruption vigilance wing of Odisha police on Wednesday began investigation to ascertain the alleged connivance of government officials in showing undue favours to gangster Syed Usaman Ali alias Tito, who is now behind bars.

A team of vigilance officials on Wednesday visited several government officials to verify records and documents and also find out the nexus between certain officials and the gangster.

Tito's alleged nexus with officials right from the police, district land registration officials to the tehsil personnel is being scanned. Going by Tito's version, focus is now on the patronage extended to him from the governmental machinery, said a senior official of STF.

The STF has sought the vigilance wing to tighten its noose around a dozen of police officers in Kendrapara district, who were allegedly on the payroll of Tito. Vigilance sleuths verified records in various government offices to detect alleged undue favour shown to Tito.

Rajnagar judicial magistrate first class court on Wednesday allowed the crime branch's STF four-day remand of Tito. The STF had prayed for seven-day remand.

The tehsil offices at Derabish, Garadpur and Kendrapara came under vigilance scanner on the alleged favour shown to Tito in sand mining auction. Besides, the records regarding the award of contract in urban development projects in the municipality were also verified. The records regarding the ownership of fleet of vehicles reportedly owned by Tito were also scrutinised at the road transport offices in Kendrapara and Chandikhole. Besides, civil supplies authorities were also quizzed regarding the no-objection certificate issued to Tito's wife for a petrol filling station.

The probe is laying focus on alleged officials' undue favour to Tito's family members and associates in acquiring sand sairats, land and petrol pump, vehicles and their permits by abusing their official positions.

Certain discrepancies were detected in the sand mining auction process in Garadpur tehsil.

There were abysmally low number of bidders, who had taken part on the bidding process. Tito and his associates had mostly bagged the sand mining rights in the tehsil. Besides, the auction price was undervalued to extend favour to Tito and his accomplices, said an investigating official.The 56-year-old gangster, who had earned notoriety by building up a crime syndicate with its network spread across the state, was arrested on June 30.