Nine members of the ‘Mahakal gang’ were arrested in Odisha’s Keonjhar district Friday along with arms and ammunition, police said.

The gang was allegedly involved in illegal sand mining, cattle theft, arms smuggling, dacoity, robbery, extortion, and contract killing, Keonjhar SP Kusalkar Nitin Dagdu said.

The members of the gang hailed from Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha, and Jharkhand, he said.

The arrests were made from an abandoned house near the Narayanpur Shiv Temple in the Keonjhar Town police station area, following a tense standoff with the police, he added.

“Members of the gang led by Ganesh Giri were intercepted by the police when they were on the way to rob Bank of India’s Naranpur branch. On seeing the police, they opened fire. Police personnel took immediate c

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