Bhubaneswar: A late-night birthday celebration turned chaotic in a residential area near Laxmisagar High School here on Friday, leading to the arrest of four men by the Commissionerate Police.
The accused, identified as Niranjan Nayak alias Kalia (38), Gagan Nayak alias Kapunu (32), Somanath Singh alias Somu (25), and Pratyush Patsahani alias Rocky (26), allegedly used a long sword to cut a birthday cake in public. They not only brandished the weapon menacingly but also hurled abuses, created a loud ruckus, and intimidated local residents, according to police.
Acting on a tip-off, a patrolling team rushed to the scene in the Laxmisagar area late Friday evening and seized the sword from their possession. The group not only terrorised people but also filmed the entire episode with the apparent intention of uploading it to social media to glorify violence and instil fear in the neighborhood.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the main accused, Niranjan Nayak alias Kalia, is a habitual offender with three prior cases registered against him at the Laxmisagar police station. Sources further stated that the birthday celebration was linked to supporters of an accused in a recent murder case involving the killing of a sweet shop owner in Samantarapur.
The four were booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, produced before a court on Saturday and remanded in custody.
A similar birthday bash in a slum at Nayapalli in the city in 2022, where the birthday boy was seen cutting a cake placed on a car’s bonnet using a sword as his friends cheered him on, had led to the arrest of four youths and a minor boy.
