Bhubaneswar, Jan. 18: Police arrested five persons, including two engineering students, from Chakeisiani last night and seized four pistols and live bullets from them.

Sources said the arrested were involved in illegal gun running in the city and other parts of the state, apart from committing other crimes.

“They were involved in the recent Chandrasekharpur dacoity case, in which they fired in the air and attacked a jeweller with sharp weapons while robbing him of gold ornaments worth around Rs 15 lakh. Besides, they were also involved in some loot and murder cases in Cuttack,” said a police officer.

The police have been trying to recover more properties stolen by the criminals and know about their nexus with other gun dealers, which might lead them to a bigger racket.

“We are interrogating the criminals,” said deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh.

Acting on a tip off, the special squad of the police, along with their Mancheswar counterparts, conducted a raid on the house at Chakeisiani, where the engineering students had been residing on rent.

Both the students are from Jagatsinghpur district and studying in a local engineering college.

The police said the criminals had been staying with the students in the house and committing crimes at various places in the state, especially in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The criminals were providing, selling and lending guns on rent to the petty goons. “We are trying to collect information about their source of procuring these guns,” said a police officer.

The cops suspected their involvement in the firing case in Cuttack last month, in which a businessman was hurt and his son, killed.

Besides, they were also involved in the robbery and killing of another businessman two days ago at Tangi in Cuttack.

A senior police officer said that after the Chandrasekharpur robbery incident, the gold ornaments were kept with the students, while the other accused took away the businessman’s motorcycle.

“Our team got the clue from the stolen motorcycle and conducted the raid,” said the officer.

Sources said there were several raids on various places in the state simultaneously to nab illegal gun traders after many instances of firing had been reported, especially in the twin cities.

Even snatchers and small-times thieves were resorting to gun firing while committing a crime, if their victims were resisting them or there was fear of them getting caught.