Bhubaneswar: Infocity Police Station in Bhubaneswar virtually turned into a battlefield on Tuesday as angry residents of a village stormed its premises protesting the arrest of a fraudster who has allegedly swindled money from many people in the area.As per preliminary information, a large number of residents of Alasua village in Patharagadia area barged into the police station and ransacked furniture in the building while staging a protest. Most of the protesters were women.Locals said a man had run away after duping many people in the area of money in the name of a ‘mini fund’ scheme. After being cheated, the villagers had reported the matter to the police.However, after the accused was arrested and forwarded to court following his return, the villagers were up in arms against the police. They argued that the police should have handed over the accused to them instead of forwarding him to court to enable them to get their money back.Besides staging a road blockade, the protesters stormed the police station and scuffled with cops, damaging furniture and flower pots. The Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of the police station was reportedly attacked during the scuffle. Vehicular movement on the road near the police station was also disrupted for over two hours due to the blockade.The protesters lifted the blockade and dispersed after they were convinced by the police that they would get their money back through legal process.
