Sundargarh: A man who had allegedly captured a school near Barajol village under Lahunipada block of Odisha's Sundargarh district with a bow and arrow was arrested on Wednesday.

After a tense 24-hour-long operation, Sundargarh police, along with the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and Fire Services personnel, successfully subdued the man, identified as Sudan Munda. He had been holding the school under siege for five days.

After apprehending him, police seized a bow, arrows, a hammer, and other weapons from his possession.

The incident began last Saturday when Munda, armed with the weapons, climbed onto the roof of the government-run Upper Primary School. The headmaster asked him to come down, but Munda responded by throwing stones at him. The headmaster suffered serious head injuries in the attack.

Munda continued to throw stones at passersby on the road in front of the school until Monday, but no one else was injured. After receiving information about the incident, Mahulpada police arrived at the school to intervene. However, when the cops tried to climb the roof to rescue Munda, he shot arrows at them, injuring a police officer and two constables.

Due to the threat, no one dared to approach Munda, even though the police and Fire Services personnel made several attempts to subdue him. Additional reinforcements were called in from Rourkela, including two DVF teams and a dog squad.

The DVF teams, wearing steel chest plates for protection, surrounded the school while some officers climbed onto the roof. Finally, they managed to overpower Munda and bring him down.

Police said an investigation was underway to determine the motive behind Munda's actions. Due to his erratic behaviour, the school had remained closed until the situation was resolved.