Kendrapara: Another close aide of Tito was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) on charge of extorting money from a person by threatening him at gunpoint.
The arrested man Yotikant Parida alias Bapu Parida of Kothiasahi stays at Paradip. He was one of the key members of Tito’s crime network, STF sources said.
STF sources said Bapu Parida and his associates extorted money from Jitendra Swain. Swain approached STF and filed an FIR against Bapu Parida and the STF registered a case under Sections 387, 506, 34, 120 (b) of IPC and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. The STF sent Parida to Kujanga JMFC court.
Bapu Parida was involved in 28 criminal cases like murder, attempt to murder, cases under Arms Act, firing, robbery, theft, extortion, criminal intimidation, conspiracy etc.
Some of the cases are in Kujanga PS, one is pending in Chauliaganja PS and the rest were pending in Paradip PS. Bapu Parida was the president of the Paradip-based Nirakar Dumper Association.
The STF had interrogated Bapu several times for alleged involvement in expanding Tito’s crime network. Meanwhile, Tito alias Sayed Ushman Ali was produced in the SDJM court Saturday in case No: 6. It was the first appearance in court in this case.
With the arrest of Bapu Parida, 13 associates of Tito, excluding Tito, are behind bars.
The SDJM court Saturday remanded Tito in five cases that were reopened by Kendrapara police. The Kendrapara police reopened two cases under Marshaghai PS, and one each under Kendrapara Town, Kendapara Sadar and Patkura police stations.
The SDJM court Saturday ordered the STF DSP, Ram Chandra Thamba, who was the investigating officer of STF case no 6, to hand over the documents and other material about Tito and his relatives which were seized between July 3 and July 9 in connection with STF case No: 6 to the investigating officer of STF PS case no 8.
Earlier, the STF July 17 requested the SDJM court to hand over all seized documents of Tito and his gang to the investigating officer of STF case no 8 as it was required in their case. The STF registered case no 8/2018 to ascertain the illegal properties of Tito.
The JMFC court is likely to allow Tito in four days remand to the STF in case no 9/2018 from July 30 to August 3 for interrogation.
PNN