Sundargarh, May 14: In a major breakthrough, Sundargarh police have arrested 10 individuals in connection with an armed robbery that took place last month in the Bandega area under the Talsara police limits. The arrests were announced on Tuesday during a press briefing at Talsara Police Station by Additional Superintendent of Police Sanat Nutan Samad.
The incident occurred on April 4, when Mohammed Manu, a businessman from Rajgangpur, was travelling to Bandega in a car along with four associates — Rasid Qureshi, Jahir Qureshi, Mohammed Ismail, and Mohammed Sajid — to purchase livestock. As they neared Baghiaberani Ghat, a group of seven to eight armed assailants riding three motorcycles intercepted their vehicle.
According to police, the attackers held the businessmen at gunpoint and looted ₹2.71 lakh in cash along with their mobile phones before fleeing the scene.
Following a complaint lodged by Mohammed Manu at Talsara Police Station, an investigation was launched. Acting on intelligence inputs, police raided the residence of a suspect, Omnath Barik of Bagichapada, Rajgangpur, on April 28 and took him into custody. His interrogation led to the identification of additional suspects involved in the crime.
The other accused were identified as Ashish Raut and Amit Tiwari from Rajgangpur; Akshay Besan and Vikas Jayapuria from the Dharuadihi police limits; Prakash Jayapuria, Akash Kaudi, Sonu, Arjun, and an associate of Arjun.
A coordinated police operation conducted on Tuesday night resulted in the arrest of all remaining suspects. During the raids, police recovered a firearm, ammunition, a magazine, two motorcycles, four mobile phones, and ₹10,000 in cash.
