Bhubaneswar, Dec. 31: Five people, including two women, were arrested from Dumduma area in connection with the blank firing incident in the house of a businessman in Phase II of Dumduma colony.

The accused, who had also ransacked the house of Jhajendra Nayak, were forwarded to the court and then sent to judicial custody after their bail plea was rejected.

Around 40 criminals had barged into the house of Nayak on Wednesday night and threatened his family members with dire consequences if they did not vacate the house. Nayak’s family had alleged that they were tied up and beaten by the goons.

Nayak had also said that the goons had held him and other family members hostage at gunpoint and then fired in the air terrorising even the people in the neighbourhood. The panic stricken locals had confirmed that they had heard the sound of shots being fired at night.

However, the police today rubbished the firing charge saying that s no used cartridge were found at the spot. Following a complaint by Nayak, Khandagiri Police had registered a case against Indramani Pani and his wife Nirmala Jenamani, who had staked claim to the house where Nayak was living.

Police booked the accused under Section 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 294 (obscene acts and songs), Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), Section 506 (criminal intimidation) and 3 Section 4 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Police also have charged the accused under Arms Act for threatening the complainant at gunpoint. The accused were identified as Akhaya Pani, Pranab Pani, Indramni Dandia, Laxmi Dandia and Nirmala Jenamani, who had produced the documents before the media claiming ownership of the house yesterday. While the police have extended protection to Nayak’s family they are searching for other accused in the case.

According to police the house originally belonged to Rabi Narayan Biswal, a housing board employee, who had given it on rent to Jhajendra Nayak for last 20 years. As Nayak was not paying the rent, Biswal sold the house to Nirmala Jenamani in 2008. Nayak claims that he had paid money to Biswal in 2000, for purchasing the house. Police said the issue of ownership would be decided by the court. “We are just looking in to the law and order part of the case,” said a police officer.