Police take custody of driver Avinash Bhadoria (in grey T-shirt). Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 16: A team of Chhattisgarh Police arrived here today to seek the remand of Dantewada BJP MLA’s driver Avinash Bhadoria, who was arrested after firing into the air an AK-47 rifle at Khurda Road railway station yesterday.

The MLA, Bhima Mondavi, had lodged a police complaint against him in Dantewada accusing him of running away with his Bolero jeep and the AK-47 rifle of his personal security officer.

Bhadoria was arrested after the rifle went off accidentally inside his train compartment. When he was chased by people at the station, he fired another round in the air. Forty-five rounds of live ammunition were seized from him.

Bhadoria, 29, who was working as the driver of Dantewada MLA Bhima Mondavi, gave a scare to people at in the railway station when he fired from the weapon on platform No. 2 of the station after alighting from the Palasa-Bhadrak DMU.

He had fled with the rifle of Mondavi’s personal security officer on Sunday. Bhadoria had also stolen the Bolero jeep of the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA. He had left in the vehicle in Abanpur before leaving for Orissa. The MLA had lodged a complaint with the Dantewada police station on September 13.

After his arrest yesterday by the RPF, Bhadoria was handed over to the government railway police, which registered a case against him under Section 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.

A police officer said he was later produced before the judicial magistrate first class (rural) and was sent to Jharapada special jail after his bail plea was rejected.

A team of police from Dantewada reached the city this afternoon. “We will appeal to the court to take Bhadoria on transit remand,” said a senior police officer of the team. The team went to Khurda railway station to speak with the railway police and railway protection force officials.

Sources said that he ran towards the RPF barrack near the platform after people on the platform started pursuing him.

“Seeing him trying to enter the barrack with a rifle, our sentry near the armoury fired in the air to warn him. Bhadoria then meekly surrendered,” said RPF inspector R.K. Narendra.

Narendra said Bhadoria had no criminal background. “After reaching Koraput, he came to Khurda railway station by Hirakhanda Express and boarded the DMU for Bhubaneswar,” said the inspector.

The man had also told RPF officials that he had fled with the gun following a dispute with the MLA over his salary. The MLA, however, denied the allegation saying that he was appointed on August 25 and had not completed one month’s work.

The Dantewada police said that while fleeing from Dantewada, Bhadoria had unsuccessfully tried to terrorise staff of a petrol pump and later, a truck driver, by firing from the stolen AK-47.