Bhubaneswar, June 16: City police last night arrested the prime accused in the June 8 VSS Nagar firing case.

The accused, 35-year-old Brahmanand Padhi alias Pappu, was arrested from the VSS Nagar area.

The police also seized a country-made pistol and live cartridges, besides a motorcycle, from him. However, his associate Mitu is still absconding.

Both the accused had escaped after shooting at Ashok Sahu, a businessman in VSS Nagar area, following a road brawl on June 8. Ashok escaped with the bullet missing him by a whisker. The police had seized the used bullet from the spot.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Nitinjeet Singh said several teams of police had been searching for the accused and conducting raids at various places in the state.

The accused were booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.

“We have produced the accused in court. We have also launched a hunt for his associate,” said the DCP.

According to the police, the accused and friends of the victim had a quarrel over a road accident four days before the firing incident.

The complainant, Ashok, and his friends had accosted the accused at a nearby bar and sought an explanation from them about the quarrel. But Pappu fired at Ashok, who fortunately escaped unhurt.

The accused fled the spot after firing. The police had recorded the statements of Ashok and his friend Happy Bhutia, who was also present there at the time of firing.

The police said the accused person was involved in several criminal cases. In 1999, he was involved in a case of theft at Chandrasekharpur.