Inter-state dacoity gang busted, 5 held

A gang that allegedly committed several dacoities in the Odisha-Jharkhand border areas was busted with the arrest of five people, police said on Saturday.

The armed men robbed Rs 11 lakh in cash from a man at a market in Rairangpur Rural police station area in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district last week. The victim was shot dead when he resisted. The accused also fired a few rounds to create panic among the people while escaping, police said.

In a joint operation, the Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar police arrested the five suspects -- four from Jharkhand in cooperation with the West Singhbhum police and one from Odisha.

An Insas Excalibur rifle, live ammunition and Rs 50,000 in cash were among the items seized from them. They were involved in at least eight cases of dacoity in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts, police said.

The gang operated from Chaibasa and surrounding areas of West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand, according to police.

They used to get in touch with the local criminals with whom they had come in contact during their previous stints in jail. These locals gathered information about the potential targets and conveyed it to the gang, they said.

Some also mix up with the general public in order to tackle any untoward situation during the dacoity, following which they escape through various routes along the Odisha border on motorcycles.

An investigation is on and steps are being taken to nab the other members of the gang, police said.