Two Held For Firing At Travel Agency Office For Delay In Refund Of Cancelled Railway Tickets

Japur: Odisha Police on Friday arrested two men with criminal background who allegedly opened fire at the office of a travel agency here over delay in refund of canceled railway tickets.

The accused were identified as Michael Santosh (23) of Purbakot village and Santosh Pradhan (24) of Mundamal village, both in Jajpur district.

Police said they arrested the duo at relatives’ homes outside the district on Thursday night.

A gun used in the incident, 4 live bullets, a motorcycle and a mobile phone were seized from their possession.

SP Yashpratap Srimal said that the accused have criminal backgrounds not only in Odisha but also in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

“Action has been taken against them under relevant sections of the Arms Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation into their criminal activities is on,” he said.

Police said Micheal gave Rs 8,000 to Devidutta Panda, owner of the travel agency on Jajpur Road, to book four online train tickets from Jajpur Road to Dibrugarh in Assam two weeks ago.

Micheal then asked Panda to cancel the tickets the day before the trip and refund the full amount.

Panda reportedly told him that the refund had not yet been transferred to his account by the railway authorities and asked for more time.

Angered by the delay, Michael and his partner allegedly arrived at the agency on a motorcycle on Wednesday night and shot into the closed office before fleeing the scene.

No loss of life or property damage was reported.

Following Panda’s complaint, Jajpur Road police registered a case on Thursday and arrested both the culprits.

“We arrested the duo under relevant sections of the Arms Act and BNS,” Srimal said.