Cuttack: Police claimed to have busted a criminal gang while they were planning to loot a petrol pump and arrested two of its members late Sunday night.
The arrested were identified as Umesh Behera alias Hipi of Kulakaijanga in Biridi police limits of Jagatsinghpur and Rajesh Sethi alias Bapi of Darghabazar in Cuttack. Police seized a mouser, two cartridges, four bombs and liquor bottles from them. The police said the duo was member of a notorious gang of Jagatsinghpur. During the raid, four other members of the gang managed to escape after pointing a gun at the police. Nihar Das of Balianta, who is lodged in Choudwar jail in a murder case, is said to be the leader of the gang. He had formed the gang and was operating it from jail with the help of his father Dilip Das, police said.
“The gang members often intimidate the witnesses of the murder committed by Nihar and were also engaged in extortion and other criminal activities,” deputy commissioner of police Akhilesvar Singh said Monday. Singh said he got a tipoff that the six criminals were having liquor near Nimaisapur canal bridge and were planning a robbery. A team led by Kandarpur inspector-in-charge Abhimanyu Das raided the place. While the police managed to nab Hipi and Bapi, four others escaped. The gang members had been threatening the witnesses not to give statements against Nihar to help him get out of jail on lack of evidence.
The arrested duo was produced in a court Monday and search operations are on to nab the other members of the gang, police said.
PNN
