Sonepur/Binika: Binika police Wednesday arrested 22 persons from Papi (Anandnagar) village in Subarnapur district on charge of attacking and injuring three police personnel while they were trying to rescue three minor boys held captive by the villagers since Tuesday night. According to reports, three minor boys from Rampur village allegedly attacked a villager and attempted to loot his mobile and bike near SinghijubaKhairamal road Tuesday night.
However, they were caught, brutally thrashed and held hostage by the villagers inside the clubhouse. When police Wednesday morning tried to take the trio into their custody, they were opposed by the villagers. Binika police then sought the help of Rampur police and deployed a platoon of force in front of the clubhouse. While a discussion was going on between the police and the villagers, police tried to rescue the accused from the clubhouse which irked the villagers. The angry villagers attacked the accused along with the police team injuring Sub Inspector Sujata Budek, ASI Trinath Sahu and constable Gopinath Sahu of Binika PS. The villagers also ransacked the police van, broke its windshields and punctured its tyres. Later, more police personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the minors. They were detained at the Binika PS after a medical examination. Following a complaint lodged by the villagers, police registered a case against the three accused and arrested them. Similarly, Binika police also registered a case (357/24) against the villagers for attacking police personnel as per a written complaint lodged by injured SI Sujata Budek.
Police arrested 22 villagers and forwarded them to the court. The number of arrests may increase, informed the police. On the other hand, hundreds of villagers from Singhijuba, Papi and Anandnagar area gathered in front of Binika police station. Meanwhile, Northern Range IG Himansu Kumar Lal reached the police station and took stock of the situation. Subarnapur SP Ram Prasad Sahu, Sonepur SDPO Pratap Tripathy and IIC Sarangadhar Panigrahi along with a police team rushed to the spot and launched an investigation.