BHUBANESWAR: Four operatives of the outlawed outfit Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) were arrested in a joint operation at Rourkela during the late hours of Tuesday.
After a three hour long exchange of fire, the four who belonged to Madhya Pradesh were arrested by the Special Tactical Unit of Special Operation Group (SOG), Rourkela Police, Telengana Police and IB, Special Director (Intelligence) of Odisha Police Arun Kumar Sarangi said.
At least five fire arms and ammunition have been seized from their possession. They four were involved in a series of terrorist related cases and bank dacoity cases outside Odisha. The terror suspects
Sarangi said, the four SIMI operatives were allegedly involved in 17 cases of terror, blasts, killing of policemen and bank heist over the last 4 years in TN, Telengana, Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh and UP. They are also suspected to be involved in one bank robbery in Sundergarh.
The four have many hideouts at various cities and town accross the country.
They used Rourkela as one of their hide outs.
So far, no connection of the terror suspects with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's February 21 visit to Bargarh has been found. The four were reportedly wanted by the National Investigation Agency.
No one from either side was injured in the joint operation. Interrogation of the four is being carried out in an undisclosed location.
The Special Tactical Unit is an urban counter terrorist unit which operates under the SOG, the elite anti-Naxal squad of the Odisha Police.