Bhubaneswar: In a breakthrough, Laxmisagar police foiled a planned armed robbery and arrested four members of a looters’ gang, while one accomplice managed to flee from the spot late Friday night near Joka Pokhari under Laxmisagar police limits, police said Saturday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Kanha Lenka (25), Rampal (22), Balaram Bhoi (21) and Biswamohan Nayak (18). According to police, a tip-off about a planned armed robbery at a jewellery shop on Jagannath Nagar Main Road led to the formation of a special team to nab the gang.
Around 11:50 pm, when the team reached the spot, the accused allegedly brandished deadly weapons, including swords, in a bid to intimidate police and flee. However, police chased them and apprehended four persons, while one accomplice escaped.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that they had assembled with weapons to execute a robbery at Mahavir Jewellers on Jagannath Nagar Main Road. Following a search at the spot, police seized two iron rods, a screwdriver, a hacksaw blade, a knife, a hammer, two swords, two packets of chilli powder, empty liquor bottles, plastic glasses, cigarette packets, a matchbox, a torchlight and four black monkey caps.
“A case has been registered at Laxmisagar police station under Sections 310(4) and 310(5) of the BNS. The accused have been forwarded to court, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding member,” a police official said.