Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 8: In a major breakthrough, eight gun-toting criminals involved in several cases of dacoity and loot were arrested by Commissionerate Police Sunday in the city.
The arrests came on the basis of information supplied by two of the eight criminals, who were arrested after an early morning encounter Sunday.
A criminal identified as Bibhu Jena (22) was intercepted and shot in the leg after a long chase by CP near Ghatikia early Sunday. He was later found to be the mastermind behind the murder of a liquor shop salesman under Lingaraj police limits. Another criminal accompanying Jena was also detained by police.
At around 2:30 am Sunday, personnel of the special squad spotted Jena and his accomplice riding an unregistered motorcycle in Kalinganagar towards Ghatikia. The policemen followed the duo when Jena started firing indiscriminately at the police vehicle.
“It was an open road. The policemen were giving them chase when the pillion rider began firing indiscriminately,” police commissioner RP Sharma said.
The bullets fired by Jena took out the headlights of the police van while another couple of bullets ricocheted off the windscreen. “The cops immediately exited the vehicle and returned fire. In the encounter, two of our personnel were injured while Jena was shot,” Sharma said.
Jena, a native of Manikpur, is now undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. On the basis of information extracted from Jena, police arrested six other criminals involved in several cases of dacoity and murder.
The pattern of indiscriminate, unprovoked firing was what led to the arrests of the six other criminals, Sharma said. “In the jewellery robbery case under Khandagiri police limits, the robbers opened fire while being chased by police,” said Sharma.
Ambika Jewellers owner Raghunath Sahoo (70) and his grandson Chunnu (20) were returning home after closing their shop February 22, when two unidentified gunmen fired at them near Jadupur at Dumduma under Khandagiri police limits and decamped with jewellery.
Bibhu Jena was among the two gunmen, police said. A total of seven accused, including those who received the looted jewellery, were involved in the loot, out of which five were arrested Sunday after Jena revealed their names to police. Apart from Jena, some of the other accused were identified as Balia Bhandari (24), a resident of Khajapalli, Hasim Akhtar (26), a resident of Dumduma, Shaik Bulu (36), a native of Maina, and Krushna Chandra Mohapatra (39), a native of Ganjam. They have been charged under section 39/307 (murder) of IPC and section 25/27 of Arms Act.
Jena’s arrest also unraveled the mystery shrouding the murder of liquor shop salesman Aditya Pradhan February 2 under Lingaraj police limits. Pradhan (35), a salesman at Nasha foreign liquor shop at Garage Chhak, was stabbed to death while he was going to hand over the keys to his owner after closing the shop late at night.
Six persons, including Jena, were involved in the murder of Pradhan. Two persons were arrested so far in the case: Arjun Behera (21), a resident of Nuagaon, and Chandan Jena (22), a resident of Tangibanta.
The arrested gang members are also involved in cases lodged at Mancheswar police station December 29 last year under Sections 395 (dacoity) and 25/27 Arms Act.
Police recovered about 800 grams of gold, one 7.56 mm pistol, one 9mm pistol, four rounds of ammunition, two motorcycles, a car, and Rs 91,000 in cash from the arrested criminals.
