Talcher: Police in Odisha’s Talcher have arrested five persons, including a security guard, in connection with the deaths of two people who succumbed to gunshot wounds during an alleged theft attempt at an infrastructure stockyard.
Those arrested have been identified as Ganeswar Sahoo (45), the security guard who fired the shots, Abhimanyu Sahoo (35), Parshuram Parida (50), Kishan Manjhi (25) and Anandi Manjhi (48). A 12-bore double-barrel gun along with an empty cartridge was recovered from the accused.
According to police, the incident occurred on the intervening night of December 23-24, near the pipeline road in Lingarakata area. The victims, identified as 17-year-old Dibyaranjan Parida and Janardan Naik, were part of a group of 12-13 persons allegedly trying to steal electric tower materials from the stockyard of Grotam Infrastructure Limited. The security personnel on duty spotted the group approaching the site under cover of darkness and fired shots using the double-barrel gun to deter the intruders. Pellets from the firearm struck the two victims, leading to their immediate death.
Talcher Police registered a case under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 103(1), 238, and 3(5). The crime scene was thoroughly examined, and forensic samples were collected. They later established the sequence of events that led to the deaths and arrested the five persons.
Verification is also underway to ascertain whether any other persons were injured during the incident, the police added.
