Bhubaneswar: Police on Tuesday arrested another accused in Saturday's attack on the official residence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik's private secretary V. Karthi-keyan Pandian.

Balaram Khuntia is the seventh accused to be nabbed so far. The police said they were trying to nab other accused in the case.

"Around 25 people were involved in the incident. Investigations revealed that the attack on was premeditated. The demonstrators had switched off their phones from Friday night so that the we cannot trace their last location," said a police officer.

The police also suspect that many of the accused have escaped to neighbouring states. "We have been conducting frequent raids at the houses of relatives of the accused, but unable to trace them," added the police officer.

Around 25 people holding BJP flags had barged into Pandian's house and ransacked it. They also damaged vehicles parked on the quarter premises and hurled cow dung on the gate and walls. They also allegedly thrashed the quarter's security guard. Later, the police had registered two cases on the basis of a complaint filed by the security guard and another police personnel who was allegedly abducted by the protestors.

Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi said several police teams were constituted to nab the other accused. "We have also roped in the special squad. All the accused will be arrested at the earliest possible," said Bhoi.

Youths held

Khandagiri police on Tuesday arrested three youths for allegedly snatching the purse from a woman on Monday. The cops also seized an iPhone, a laptop and another mobile from the accused. The accused have been identified as Ajay Dhedu, 19, Bikram Behera, 19, and Debashish Mohapatra, 19, a Plus Three student.