Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7: Police today arrested four members of a gang that was involved in a series of robberies on the national highway passing through the city.

The cops also seized two gold chains and sharp weapons from the gang that also included an engineering student. The accused have been identified as Swaraj Rai, 24, a second-year BTech student at a city-based private institute, Rakesh Mohanty, 21, Debi Prasad Roul, 18, and Jiban Das, 19.

The police said the gang was planning to commit another robbery near Patrapada when they tried to nab them. But, they managed to give them the slip and fled towards Khurda before being chased down and nabbed near Jatni.

'The gang that had been operating on the national highway near Mancheswar and Khandagiri for the past two months was involved in a number of snatching and robbery cases. We are trying to nab other members,' said deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi.

The police said the gang was involved in robbing a couple on August 13 at Mancheswar. The gang assaulted the couple with a sharp weapon before robbing them of their valuables, including a gold chain.

'The gang was involved in similar crimes in Khurda. They will be brought under remand for further interrogation,' said a police officer.

Involvement of students in such crimes has emerged as a major concern for the police. In April, the cops had arrested four youths, including a management student, for allegedly stealing an app cab at gunpoint from Bharatpur on the city outskirts in March.

They have nabbed more than 100 students, mostly from engineering institutes, in the past three years for their involvement in a series of crime.

'A number of students resort to commit crimes for the lure of a flashy lifestyle. We have been conducting frequent interactions with the students and urging them to refrain from criminal activities,' said a police officer.