The Keonjhar Police foiled a plan of dacoity in an SBI branch by arresting and court-forwarding of nine inter-State criminals on Wednesday.
Keonjhar SP Rajesh Pandit told reporters that being tipped off by a source, Sadar PS SI Bijaya Kumar Mallick and other policemen who were on patrolling duty on Tuesday night proceeded to the Dangapani forest and found that the nine people were sitting at a place and drinking and smoking and deadly weapons were with their possession.
The police found a map having details of entry and exit points of the SBI Sukathi branch, just about 300 meter from the place where the dacoits were sitting. The police nabbed them and brought them to the police station, where it was revealed that some of them were in the wanted list of police for their involvement in many cases of theft, burglary, dacoity and murder in different areas of Keonjhar, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha and different areas of Jharkhand.
The police seized a carbine machinegun, an italic pistol, two country-made pistols, a USA-made pistol made with live ammunitions, seven mobile phones, four bikes, nine masks and a sketch of map of the SBI Suakathi branch.
The arrested criminals are Raju alias Kalia alias Jagabandhu Prusty, Bamdev Rout, Rajkishore Rout (Keonjhar district), Deba alias Rabi, Paresh alias Palei Biswal (Mayurbhanj) and Ajaya Hembram. Rabi Godasara, Gandhi Sinku and Milu Birua (Jharkhand).
Jagabanhu Prusty, who is said to be mastermind, was also allegedly involved in the Bharat Finance company dacoity committed some days back.