Armed youth holds lover's family members hostage, nabbed after 6-hour operation in Odisha's Balangir district

BHUBANESWAR/BALANGIR: It took the police six hours to end a hostage situation and arrest a love-lorn armed youth, who was holed up in a house in Balangir town on Tuesday morning. After rescuing three hostages of a family, the police had to try several options before pouncing on him at a corner of the house.
The police team also had a narrow escape as while negotiating, the hostage taker fired three shots at the police.None was hurt.
The youth identified as Bikram Panda, 28 barged into a house at Shantipada locality in the western Odisha town at about 9 am brandishing a country-made pistol. Keeping the three members of the family at pistol point, he kept quizzing about a girl that he said was the house owner’s niece. The three managed to escape and got them locked in another room.
Police said the youth was hell bent on seeing the house owner’s niece, who he was in love with. He was threatening to kill self also. “We got a call from the family members, who were trapped in the house that an armed gunman had entered their house. A team rushed to the spot and began looking for options to rescue the family members. After their rescue, it was tough for us to nab the youth without harming him as he was having a pistol,” said SP (Balangir) Nitin Kusalkar.
The SP further said miscreant had confined himself in the hall of the first floor. “I, accompanied by IIC of town police station and my security personnel, began engaging and talking with him. I gave my introduction. He was averse to us being in proximity to him as I could smell from his behaviour. Suddenly, he started making blank fire one after another three times. Since it was a country-made pistol, we pounced on him by breaking open the door, before he could load the fourth bullet,” added the SP.
The SP before swinging into action himself, tried to bring Bikram’s friends parents to talk to him but all such efforts failed.
After arrest, Bikram was taken to the police station for interrogation. The police will also probe where he bought the pistol from and how long he had been planning. Bikram, sources said, was in love with the girl, who works in a government medical college in the town, for past some years. The house, which Bikram chose for hostage drama is that of the girl’s uncle. Bikram is owner of an internet cafe.
“I never saw the youth earlier before in this locality. When he barged into the house and kept my son at gunpoint, I got terrified. Because of my presence of mind, we ran into safety,” said the rescued house owner.
(By: Riyan Ramanath V & Avinash Mohanty)