Cuttack: In a significant development, the District and Sessions Judge Court in Cuttack on Thursday acquitted the notorious gangster duo—Sushant and Sushil Dhalasamanta, popularly known as the Dhalasamanta brothers—and eight others in the sensational 2013 double murder case of Deepak Mallick alias Dipu and Om Prakash Swain alias Om.
Delivering the verdict after more than a decade of legal proceedings, the court cited lack of sufficient evidence as the reason behind the acquittal.
“The court did not find enough evidence to support the murder allegations. While we have not reviewed the entire judgment yet, it is evident that the case lacked merit from the beginning. The court has recognised this and acquitted the accused,” said Senior advocate Saur Chandra Mohapatra.
However, the Dhalasamanta brothers were convicted under Section 25A of the Arms Act for illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to seven years in prison. Arms and ammunition had reportedly been recovered from their residence during the investigation.
“Since the duo has already served nearly nine years in jail, their sentence will be regularised under Section 82 of the CrPC as proxy detention,” added Mohapatra.
The case dates back to November 12, 2013, when Dipu and Om—former associates of the Dhalasamanta brothers—were abducted and murdered at a farmhouse near Ansupa in Athagarh. Their charred remains were later discovered in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, where they had been taken and burnt in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Despite the gravity of the crime and a prolonged investigation, the prosecution failed to establish a concrete link between the Dhalasamanta brothers and the murders. The police had filed a chargesheet naming eight persons, including the gangster duo.
The brothers were arrested in 2016 and have since remained behind bars. Over the years, a total of 27 criminal cases have been registered against them, including murder, extortion, and arms-related charges. With Thursday’s ruling, they have now been acquitted in 15 of those cases.
