Kuliana shooting: 6 held

Baripada: Ten days after a liquor shop employee was shot at on National Highway 18 under Kuliana police limits in Mayurbhanj district, police have arrested six suspects involved in the attack. The arrested have been identified as Manao Giri, 19, and Debendra Das, 34, of Balasore district; Dillip Kumar Rao, 55, and Kuna Barik (absconding) of Ganjam district; and Narayan Behera, Debabrata Sahu, and Shiba Shankar Barik of Mayurbhanj district.

The six suspects were produced in court following their arrest. Police recovered two motorcycles, a country-made pistol, five mobile phones and 15 SIM cards from the accused. According to SP Varun Gunthupalli, the attack was orchestrated by Shiba Shankar, a hotel employee who regularly handed over daily cash collections from a nearby liquor counter to the shop’s staff. Aware of the money trail, he conspired with others from Balasore, Ganjam, and Mayurbhanj to carry out the robbery June 23.

On the day of the incident, Kuliana shooting: 6 held Shibananda Barik, 30, an employee of the liquor shop, was carrying cash to Baripada when he was ambushed. The assailants fired five rounds, hitting him in the thigh and head. Locals rushed to the scene on hearing the gunfire, prompting the attackers to flee without taking the money.

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