By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police Crime Branch on Monday arrested two persons, including a 21-year-old BBA student, here and seized three bullets in this connection.
Acting on an intelligence input, the STF team intercepted Shanu Poddar (21), a resident of Jharkhand studying BBA at NIS College here. The cops also seized three 7.65 mm sophisticated automatic pistols and 22 numbers of ammunition from his possession.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the youth had procured the arms from outside the state and had come to Bhubaneswar to deliver the same to one Suressh Panigrahi (24) in Khandagiri police station area of Khordha district.
Later, the STF lodged a case under Section 25 (a) of Arms Act and arrested both of them. They will be produced before the Bhubaneswar SDJM Court. Further investigation is on in this connection.
“Steps are being taken to find out the main source of procurement, persons to whom such arms and ammunition have been delivered and the entire networking of gang having inter-state links of such illegal trade ” said a statement issued by the STF.
Meanwhile, in yet another shot out case, Infocity Police have arrested a youth after a college girl, who happens to his friend, sustained bullet injuries in an accidental firing from an illegal gun this morning.
The arrested youth has been identified as Ashish Kumar Nayak, a resident of Panjapalli under Erasma police limits in Jagatsinghpur district. The police said that Ashish was recently arrested in connection with a bomb blast at Xavier Square under Nayapalli police limits in Bhubaneswar and also several criminal cases are pending against him at different police stations in the city.
Reportedly, the injured second-year girl student of a city-based fashion design institute, identified as Sonali Das of Balasore, has been admitted to Kalinga Hospital for treatment after sustaining bullet injuries on her legs.
According to reports, Ashish was showing his gun handling skills to Sonali at a rented house in Sishu Vihar area today when it accidentally fired. Following this, a bullet pierced through the left thigh of the girl and entered the right leg thigh resulting in profuse bleeding. Ashish immediately rushed Sonali to a private hospital under Chandrasekharpur Police limits.
In the meantime, the police reached the hospital and enquired about the incident to Ashish. However, the accused first lied to the police that two bike-borne miscreants opened fire at Sonali when they were standing in front of a college in Patia. But police grew suspicious about Ashish’s claims and took him for identification of the spot.
However, Ashish failed to identify the spot. Though he showed a spot, police failed to find a single drop of blood on the scene. Later, during a marathon interrogation, Ashish revealed that he was showing a pistol to Sonali when it accidentally went off and she sustained bullet injuries.
Based on the investigation and statements, Ashish was arrested on the charge of illegal possession of a gun under the Arms Act. Besides, the rented house in Sishu Vihar has been also seized and further investigation is underway, informed Infocity PS IIC Biswajit Mohanty.
On the other hand, the illegal gun is yet to be recovered from Ashish. The cartridge is also missing from the house where the incident took place.
