Keonjhar: Keonjhar Town Police have foiled a planned dacoity with the arrest of nine armed criminals in an overnight operation conducted in the wee hours of Friday.
Acting on credible intelligence received during night patrolling, Town police intercepted an armed gang that had clandestinely assembled inside an abandoned house near Ghadaghadi Temple in Naranpur, under the jurisdiction of Town Police Station in Keonjhar.
When challenged by the police, the miscreants opened fire at the patrolling team with a 7.65 mm pistol. However, the police personnel took immediate cover, exercised utmost restraint, and tactically surrounded the premises, apprehending the accused.
The nine arrested criminals have been identified as Ganesh alias Biswajit Giri, Priyadarshan Pradhan, Parsuram Pradhan, Nirmal Pradhan, Subhasis Giri, Ranjan Palei, Binod Munda, Rohit Naik, and Md. Jishan. The accused belong to Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Jharkhand.
During the search, the police recovered and seized five 7.65 mm pistols, seven 7.65 mm magazines, 25 live 7.65 mm ammunition, and four fired cartridge cases from their possession and the crime scene.
Further investigation is underway to uncover the details of the planned dacoity and the involvement of other accused.
Keonjhar Town police registered a case under Sections 310(4)/310(5)/109(1) BNS, 2023 r/w Sections 25/27 Arms Act, 1959.