Cuttack: Police have cracked the sensational Nandi Sahi robbery case of August 2 with the arrest of the mastermind following an encounter on Friday.

Robbers had looted plastic goods trader Sumeet Kumar Banthia of Rs 7.5lakh at gunpoint at 10.35pm on August 2. The loot took place when Banthia was travelling in a Honda Activa with the cash stashed in the scooter's boot.

The Purighat police cracked the case on Saturday following the arrest of mastermind Bharat Kumar Khuntia in an encounter late on Friday night.

Kuntia, who lives near the plastic trader's shop at Pithapur, had planned the robbery at a teashop along with his aides Anil Kumar Behera of Ranihat, Shitun Kumar Sahoo of Pithapur and Birendra Nayak of Jhanjirmangala.

Later, another nine goons were roped in to execute the dacoity hatched on the basis of Kuntia's information that Banthia, the owner of Sanjay Plastics, carried cash from his shop to his home.

Narrating the incident in his complaint, Banthia had mentioned that a few unidentified culprits had first sprayed pepper into his eyes, fired one round in the air and then decamped with the Honda Activa that had the cash in its boot.

DCP Akhileswar Singh said that during the probe it was found that 13 persons were involved in the dacoity.

"Accused Anil, Birendra and Shitun followed Sumeet Kumar Banthia from his shop at Pithapur in a motorcycle. On the way Soumya Ranjan Sahoo of Khannagar, Sanjay Behera of Sadar Dhenkanal, Chandan Behera of Trisulia, Ananta Prasad Maharana and Loken Guru (both of Khannagar) joined them in two other motorcycles," Singh said.

"At a road near Nandi Sahi, accused Shitun, along with Anil and Birendra, intercepted the trader. Birendra sprayed pepper into his eyes and Anil snatched the Honda Activa containing the cash," he said.

"To scare the public, Anil opened one round of fire from his country-made 7.65mm pistol and decamped with the Honda Activa that had the cash. Soumya Ranjan accompanied Anil on the scooter while the others followed them," the DCP said.

The police said Sk Riyaz Bux of Jhola Sahi, Rohit Ranjan Mohapatra of Biswakarma Sahi, B. Shyam of Tinkonia Bagicha and Sanjay Nayak of Pancha Mukhi were also involved in the crime.

The Purighat police had seized four motorcycles, including a new Royal Enfield without a registration number, and Rs 1.3 lakh from Ananta, Birendra, Soumya Ranjan, Loken and Sanjay.

Shitun had bought the Royal Enfield motorbike in the name of Sanjay Behera with his share of the looted cash, the police said.

The seizures also included one 7.65mm country-made pistol, two 7.65mm live ammunition, six mobile phones and one pepper spray bottle, the police said.