Bhubaneswar: Continuing crackdown on organised crimes, the Commissionerate Police today busted a crime syndicate operating in Khurda area with the arrest of four notorious criminals and seizure of prohibited arms and ammunition from them.
Addressing a press meet here today, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said that a Special Squad swung into action after a tip-off that the criminal gang was about to assemble in Tamando area to plan a massive attack on their rival group.
Tamando Police and Special Squad first arrested Sanjaya Khuntia and seized a prohibited arm, one 9mm automatic Carbine, from him and after eliciting information from him, apprehended three other operatives of the gang from Kalinga Vihar area at about 11 pm on Sunday.
The arrested persons have been identified as Bapuni alias Sanjaya Khuntia (34) of Sarakantara in Khandagiri, Shiva Kumar Nali (47) of Sialia Patana in Khurda Sadar, Bata Pani alais Bata Krishna Pani (50), of Begunia in Khurda and Prakash Routaray (44) of Khurda Sadar.
One 9mm automatic Carbine (Prohibited Arms), two magazines of the Carbine, 12 9mm live ammunition, two 7.65 mm semi-automatic pistols, two 7.65 mm magazines, eight 7.65mm live ammunition, seven mobile phones, Â one red colour WagonR car, one white colour CRETA car, and one silver colour SWIFT car have been seized from them, the police said.
According to the police, the criminal gang is very active in Khurda area and involved in running illegal laterite, black granite stone quarry and sand quarries. They are involved in facilitating and escorting transportation of illegally excavated sand and stone from quarries to reach at different destinations. They keep prohibited automatic and semi-automatic unlicensed firearms with them illegally and remain ready to meet any untoward incident on the road so also inside the quarries. They use weapons to scare their opponents and also take revenge upon them.
As per police records, accused Sanjaya Khuntia alias Bapuni was involved in a gruesome sensational high-profile murder case of Dhauli P.S in which he and his associates murdered one Krutibasha Parija alias, Sonu. They were so desperate that they chopped the body of the victim into pieces and packed it in polyethene. Threw those packets in river Daya to disappear evidence. He and his associates are facing trial in this case. He is a hardcore criminal and close associate of Chagala Mallick from whom he procured the carbine.
Similarly, accused Bata Krishna Pani alias Bata Pani is a notorious criminal and involved in many cattle transport cases. He is the kingpin of a gang armed with firearms and lethal weapons escorting the cattle-loaded trucks and facilitating those for cross-border transportation. He is also involved in arms act cases and attempted to murder cases.
Moreover, accused Prakash Routaray of Khurda is previously involved in many cases of Khurda District, STF mining cases and is now on court bail.
This apart, accused Shiva Nali is very close to Sanjaya Khuntia and supports him in running all types of illegal activity at Khurda and in Bhubaneswar.
