Bhubaneswar: One more person was arrested on Saturday in connection with the attack on Tourism Minister Maheshwar Mohanty, taking the total number of persons arrested in the case so far to five.
"Five persons have been arrested from Puttaparthi in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahu told reporters on Saturday adding that two 'mousers', 10 live rounds of cartridge and two vehicles were also recovered from them.
The accused have been identified as Amit Bikram Harichandan alias Chaka, Jagannath Panda, Manas Ranjan, Lokanath Mishra alias Mahabala and Satyanarayan Panigrahi alias Kalu.
Four suspects were held on Thursday night from a lodge in Anantnag district.
Sahu said that the five accused will be produced in a court in Puri.
"We will also seek the court's permission to take them to remand for further interrogation," the SP said.
After committing the crime, the SP said the five fled to Andhra Pradesh in a van. They were, however, tracked by a joint team of Odisha and Andhra police.
While two persons fired at the minister near Amala Club in Puri town on the night of February 21, three others were giving cover to the shooters, the SP said adding that the incident was believed to be related to old rivalry.
The police, however, said that the mastermind behind the incident will be arrested soon.
Police had launched a massive manhunt after unknown attackers shot at 59-year-old Mohanty while he was returning home on a two-wheeler in Puri, his home town which he represented in the Assembly.
The minister was rushed to the Puri district hospital from where he was brought to a private hospital here. His condition is stated to be 'stable' and 'out of danger' after a bullet lodged in the minister's chest had been removed, hospital sources said.