Jamshedpur, July 23: Sonari police arrested five people and recovered two loaded countrymade revolvers and 16 live and four empty cartridges late last night, foiling a loot bid in Jamshedpur's landmark Marine Drive.

DSP (headquarters-II) Kailash Karmali said Ajay Gaur (22), Vishal Lohar (23), Sumit Singh (22), Vijay Kumar Singh (41), and Arvind Bose (21) had assembled at a deserted spot near Rupnagar, one of the many urban slums dotting the 11km Marine Drive in Sonari, with an intention of looting passers-by.

"Soon after getting the information, a team, led by Sonari police station officer-in-charge (OC) Budhram Oraon, rushed to the spot near Fagu Baba Mandir around 10.30pm. Seeing the police, the men tried to escape towards Rupnagar but the team managed to catch them. We have booked the youths, all residents of different slums in Sonari, under Arms Act. Three of them - Ajay, Vishal and Sumit - have recently come out on bail from Ghaghidih Central Jail. They are being interrogated for their involvement in other crimes as well," said the DSP.

Sonari OC Oraon added they had admitted to their plan of looting commuters on the Marine Drive, during interrogations.

Apart from the local residents of posh apartments, the drive is also used by commuters going to Adityapur from city. Around 2,000 goods trucks and trailers of the industrial units in Adityapur and Gamharia ply on this stretch daily, especially from night to dawn.

In another breakthrough, the DSP said, two thieves, including a minor, were nabbed late last night from their respective homes at Sopodera in Parsudih. "Kallu Patro (20) and the minor (police denied disclosing his name) are accused of stealing Rs 19,000, two mobile phones and other valuables, from the houses of one Vinay Das and his neighbour Prakash Chandra Dutta in Parsudih on July 19.