Kalka police on Wednesday arrested five armed men who were allegedly planning to carry out a robbery in the area. According to the police, an illegal foreign-made pistol, six live cartridges, iron rods, a gandasi, a sharp-pointed weapon (spear), and a Honda City car without a registration plate were seized from their possession.During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they were involved in an ongoing rivalry with another group in Malout. (HT Photo for representation)The accused, Bablu, Ritik alias Mangu, Navish Kumar alias Nanu, Deepak Kumar and Khushdeep Singh alias Nirmal, are all residents of Malout in Punjab’s Muktsar district. Police said the accused had been absconding after allegedly opening fire during a gang war there.According to assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Kalka Ashish Kumar, the police received a tip-off on June 17 that a group of armed men were sitting in a Honda City car at a secluded spot near the Rest House and Gaushala in Kalka and were planning a robbery or dacoity. Acting swiftly, a police team laid a cordon and apprehended all five suspects.During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they were involved in an ongoing rivalry with another group in Malout. They admitted that a clash had taken place on June 13, during which Bablu allegedly opened fire. A case under murder and Arms Act charges has already been registered against them at Sadar Malout police station in Punjab.Police said the accused had been absconding since the incident and, after running out of money, they allegedly conspired to commit a robbery in Kalka.A case has been registered at Kalka police station under Section 310(4) (making preparation to commit dacoity) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act. According to police records, Ritik alias Mangu is a habitual offender with several cases of drug trafficking, theft and assault registered against him in Punjab.The accused were produced before a court on Thursday. Deepak and Khushdeep were remanded to judicial custody, while Bablu, Ritik and Navish were sent to four-day police custody for further investigation.