Five more arrested for attacking govt officials

Five more persons were

arrested on Sunday for their alleged involvement in the attack on two government officials who were enforcing the lockdown in Odishas Jajpur district, taking the total number of people arrested to eight, police said.

Kuakhia police arrested the five on Sunday, while three persons had been taken into custody in connection with the incident that took place in Rasulpur block areas in Jajpur district on Saturday, they said.

Police had arrested three persons soon after the incident which took place in Gopinathapur village under Kuakhia police station limits in Jajpur district on Saturday.

Kuakhia police station Inspector-in-charge Manoj Kumar Swain said, We have arrested five more people involved in assault on the government officials on COVID-19 duty. We arrested them after conducting several raids at their hideout in different location late Saturday night.

 

The arrested have been identified as Sultan Khan (23), Rabani Khan (24), Gufran Khan (22), Abdul Salam Khan (55), all belong to Gopinathapur village and Asraf Ali Khan (30), a resident of Binjharpur village in Jajpur district, police said.

The arrested persons were produced before a local court which remanded them to judicial custody for two weeks.

When asked whether one of the arrested persons is a Nizamuddin returnee, the IIC said investigation is in progress.

Rasulpur Block Development Officer Umakanta Parida and local Tahasildar Jyotikanta Bhujabal who were overseeing the lockdown situation near Madhuban area in the district on Saturday noticed three youths moving on a motorbike without any mask and helmet.

When the officials tried to stop them, the trio sped away and entered Gopinathpur village.

Both the BDO and Tahasildar followed the youths and intercepted them in the middle of the village.

As the officials reached there and started questioning, they were attacked by a group of around 50 villagers.

On receiving information, Jajpur Collector Ranjan Kumar Das reached the spot followed by a police team. Police rescued the two officers and arrested three accused persons.