Odisha: 4 members of gang involved in illegal quarrying nabbed; automatic carbine, 2 pistols seized

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police today claimed to have arrested four members of a gang involved in illegal quarrying activities in Khurda district of Odisha.

The arrested have been identified as Sanjaya Khuntia (34) alias Bapuni of Sarakantara under Khandagiri police limits here, Shiva Kumar Nali (47) of Sialia Patana under Khurda Sadar police limits, Bata Krishna Pani (50) of Kushapalla under Begunia police limits in Khurda and Prakash Routray (44) of Durgapur under Khurda Sadar police limits, said a senior official of the Commissionerate Police.

The police have seized one 9 mm automatic carbine, two 7.65 mm semi-automatic pistols, live ammunitions, seven mobile phones and three cars from the accused.

On a tip-off, a team of Tamando police nabbed the four accused from Kalinga Vihar area around 11 pm yesterday and seized the firearms and vehicles from them, said the police official.

“The gang was very active in Khurda area and involved in running of illegal laterite, black granite and sand quarries. They were facilitating and escorting the transportation of illegally excavated stone and sand from quarries to various locations. They had kept the illegal firearms to further their unlawful activities,” said the official.

Most of the gang members were earlier booked in several cases of crime including murder in various police stations in Bhubaneswar and on its outskirts, said the official.