Sources said that a youth, identified as Krushna Moharana had withdrawn Rs 5 lakh from a bank and stopped at a shop for a brief moment to have a cup of tea. In a matter of 5 to 7 seconds, another youth from nowhere appeared on the spot, broke open the storage box of Moharana’s bike and fled from the spot after taking the cash. The entire theft was captured in a CCTV camera installed near the spot.
Baidyanathpur Police started an investigation based on the CCTV footage.
As per experts, it seems that the miscreants are monitoring the transactions done by customers in the bank and following them. Taking advantage of their inattentiveness or by some other tricks, the miscreants are robbing lakhs of rupees.
Such incidents have been happening one after another for the last several months, even though the Commissionerate Police has been carrying out a safe city drive. Members of some burglary gangs have been arrested in the past as well.
As per reports, Manoranjan Jena, an employee of Vani Vihar University stays with his family in government quarters on the university premises.
He said that thieves broke into his house by cutting the doors with cutters and then decamped with ornaments, laptops, Rs 2 lakh cash, and even a piggy bank of his daughter.
Following a complaint, police have started an investigation into the theft.
Manoranjan said, “We had gone out for a few hours in the evening. On returning home at 7.30 pm, we were shocked to see doors and the steel wardrobe broken. Ornaments and valuables were looted. Three gold chains, a laptop, and Rs 2 lakh cash were stolen. I filed an FIR.”
A team of police visited the spot and collected fingerprints.
No reaction from police was received.
Like any other day, Manas Kumar Sahu put some gold and silver ornaments of his customers in a bag and came out of his shop. Leaving the bag on his bike seat, he went to lock the shop. Just then, a miscreant came, took the bag, and fled from the spot on a motorcycle.
The entire incident was captured in the CCTV camera installed at the shop. In the footage, it can be seen that Manas chased the miscreants but failed to stop them.
Also Read: Burglars strike yet another house in Bhubaneswar, throw challenge to police
On being informed, a team from Airfield Police Station reached the spot and launched a probe on the basis of the CCTV footage.
“The bag contained some customers’ gold and silver ornaments they had given me for repairing purposes. Leaving it on my bike seat, I went to down the shutter. Just then the miscreants came on a bike and fled from the spot with the bag,” said Sahu.
The arrested person has been identified as Pramod Kumar Das of the Mahanga area, who has criminal antecedents. He has several cases pending against him at different police stations in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
The modus operandi of Das would be to befriend vulnerable targets. Then he would offer them spiked drinks before robbing them of their valuables.
After receiving a complaint from the victim, the police launched a probe. During the investigation, the cops had scanned footage captured in CCTV cameras installed in the locality and arrested him.
Also Read: ATM loot bid in Odisha's Keonjhar foiled as man wakes up in dead night
The police seized five mobile phones, Rs 7000 in cash, two silver bracelets, and huge quantity of sedative pills from his possession.
“His modus operandi would be to offer drinks spiked with drugs to his targets and then decamp with whatever he finds. He also has cases pending against him at Bhubaneswar GRP, Khordha GRP, and Badambadi police station,” said Cuttack’s Zone VI ACP, Swastik Panda.
The seriously injured petrol pump staffer, identified as Anil Tiwari, has reportedly been admitted to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH).
According to a source, Anil Tiwari, a staffer of the petrol pump located at Padajamapali by the side of National Highway 10, was going to the bank riding a bike to deposit Rs 2 lakh, the collection of the previous night.
Also Read: Miscreants fire at jewellery shop owner during loot bid in Odisha
As he was nearing Lamloi Square, four miscreants riding two bikes, all wearing helmets, waylaid Anil and attacked him with knives before speeding away from the spot with the cash bag.
Seriously injured Anil was first rushed to Rajgangpur Community Health Centre (CHC) and later he was shifted to RGH.
Meanwhile, the police have launched a probe. Besides analysing the CCTV footage, they interrogated the petrol pump employees to know if anyone of them had briefed the miscreants about Anil going to the bank with cash.
(Reported by Biswaketan Ray)
Cuttack Rural SP, Mihir Panda informed that a staffer of the cash carrying van and another staffer of a separate vehicle had actually provided information to Khan regarding the route and other information. It was Khan, who then engaged other criminals, to commit the crime on November 10 last year, Panda said while briefing the media.
Also Read: 'Miscreants loot' Rs 1.5 crore from ATM van in Cuttack
“We have arrested 7 accused and recovered over Rs 64 lakh cash, two-wheelers and sharp weapons and the investigation will continue. The SUV used in the crime has been dismantled and disposed of in a canal. More arrests are likely in the case,” said Panda.
Panda informed that both the staff of the cash carrying vans had actually lost huge amounts of money in online gaming. They had subsequently shared information with the criminals in view to make up for the loss.
Cuttack Rural Police informed that the entire plan was well executed by the criminals. Some people were on two-wheelers, four wheelers while others kept watch on road and tacked the movement of police. The criminals had conducted recee and attempted twice to loot cash from cash van. But they had to abort the operation due to a timing mismatch, police said.
The senior official said that cash van staff had shared all the information with the criminals including that the vehicle’s CCTV was not functioning and no chain was attached to the cash trunk and as well as the movement and route of the cash van.
“We have identified all the accused who were part of the conspiracy. All of them will be arrested soon,” Panda added.
According to the police, the Durga temple at Darakhapatna was burgled on January 28. Two other temples located at different locations were also targeted. During the investigation, the police got inputs about the gang involved in the Darakhapatna Durga temple loot case. Subsequently, a plan was drawn out and the three members of the gang were apprehended. A goldsmith was also arrested on charges of buying the stolen articles.
Also Read: Three flats burgled in Bhubaneswar; valuables worth Rs 30 lakh looted
The masterminds of the gang are Seikh Piru and his son-in-law Seikh Harun, said the police adding that the 14 cases are pending against Seikh Puri at different police stations.
The police seized stolen articles, a scooter, two mobile phones, and the articles used in the crime from their possession.
“Three temples were burgled. During the investigation, we achieved success in the Darakhapatna temple loot case. We have arrested four persons- three burglars and one who received the booty from them. They had melted the goddess’s silver crown. Besides this molten silver, we have seized other ornaments, a scooter, and a crowbar from them,” said Cuttack ADCP, Anil Mishra.
The robbers looted Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 8 lakh from the house of the Panchayati Raj department’s additional director at Gandamunda under Khandagiri police station limits in Bhubaneswar.
According to sources, the robbers sneaked into the house of Chote Lal Sharma and decamped with cash and gold ornaments.
Sharma lodged a complaint at Khandagiri police station regarding the incident. The police initiated a probe into the matter as per the complaint.
It is to be noted that in December last year, a gang looted valuables from five flats of an apartment in the Gadakana area of Bhubaneswar.
In a similar incident on December 11, some unidentified miscreants targeted an Automated teller machine (ATM) of the State Bank of India (SBI) and decamped with over Rs 10 lakh cash in Bhubaneswar.
Zone 6 ACP, Ramesh Chandra Bisoi informed about the arrest at a press meet.
According to police, Sibananda Barik, a resident of Damana village, was going to his shop at around 3 am on January 1 when Godhi approached him. Before Barik could understand anything, Godhi tried to snatch the cash bag from Barik. It contained Rs 6,000 cash. When opposed, Godhi attacked Barik and slit his throat with a sharp weapon before fleeing from the spot with the cash bag.
Also Read: Bhubaneswar apartment loots: Commissionerate Police pastes posters of burglars in 'wanted' list
Hearing the commotion, local residents came to Barik’s rescue and rushed him to a private hospital. After treatment, he recently returned home.
“The accused has been identified as Balabanta Bai alias Godhi. He is a habitual offender. Five to six cases are pending against him in different police stations. He would remain absconding most of the time and was never found in his house. On the incident night, he and his associate attacked the shopkeeper and looted money from him. Today we arrested and produced them in court,” said Zone 6 ACP, Ramesh Chandra Bisoi.
According to sources, Sabitri Panda and her husband were staying in a rented house at Jagannath Nagar. They were away at a relative’s house when the burglary took place. When people were busy welcoming New Year’s Day, miscreants broke into the couple’s house through the window and looted gold jewellery worth about Rs 3 lakh.
Also Read: Robbers go on loot spree in Bhubaneswar, decamp with valuables from 5 flats in a night
On reaching home, they found the window broken and gold jewellery missing. Sabitri lodged a complaint at Laxmisagar Police Station.
Registering a case, the police are now scanning the footage of the CCTC cameras installed in the locality.
It is said that the police have some clues on the burglars.
Barring one burglary gang arrested by the Nayapalli Police, the Commissionerate Police has failed to solve the other cases. The frequent loot incidents even prompted the police to issue an advisory to the city dwellers, asking them not to post about their visit plans on social media platforms and to inform neighbours to keep a watch on their houses in their absence.
The loot is suspected to be the work of some professional looters as they have also taken away hard disks and computers from the bank, and have also broken the CCTV camera. The loot reportedly occurred late Thursday night. The incident came to light after locals spotted the broken bank door this morning.
The burglars entered the bank after breaking the entry grill, sources said. After looting the treasury box, they tried to break open the locker, but in vain. After a failed attempt to break the locker in which more cash was kept, they reportedly took it away with them.
Sources said the burglars used gas cutters to break open the door and the treasury box. Locals have now asked the reasons why the bank officials were storing a huge amount of cash with no security arrangements in the bank.
On being informed, Cuttack SP along with other senior police officials reached the bank and launched a probe.
The gang members also used to loot valuables by attacking the house members. The accused have been identified as Raju Das, Aju Das, Rama, and Balia Das of the Pagada area. All of them have been arrested following an investigation into two burglary cases that were reported from the Chandigaon area on December 14, 2023.
Bhadrak SDPO, Saurabh Ota informed that following the two burglary cases, a special team was formed and a probe was launched along with the forensic team.
“However, the initial breakthrough in the form of credible lead was provided by the dog squad that led the cops to a particular area. Four persons were apprehended subsequently,” said the senior cop.
Police have seized cash worth Rs 12000, silver and gold ornaments, sharp weapons, and three bikes from the possession of the accused.
"Apart from this, one receiver of the stolen ornaments has also been arrested. The involvement of some other persons is also being suspected in the case and further investigation is underway,” police said.
According to sources, some school students were returning from their school when they saw a miscreant fleeing from the jewellery shop carrying the looted items. Without losing a moment, the students leaped towards him and overpowered him. He had sprayed a chemical at the shopkeeper to loot the valuables.
Also Read: Unsafe city: Automobile showroom security guard attacked after failed loot bid in Bhubaneswar
Hearing the commotion, local people rushed to the spot and gave the accused a good thrashing before handing him over to the police.
Registering a case, the Mancheswar Police is investigating the case. The cops are interrogating the culprit, informed sources.
On the other hand, local people were all praises for the brave schoolchildren for whom a thief was caught and the shop was saved from being burgled.
According to sources, the robbers sneaked into the apartment even in the presence of security guards. The robbers broke into the lockers of the room and looted valuables worth lakhs of rupees.
An inter-state gang that is active in the smart city is believed to be behind the loot, said sources.
The CCTV installed in the apartment has captured the visuals of the robbers.
On being informed, the police reached the spot and initiated an investigation by examining the CCTV footage to nab the looters.
It is to be noted that on December 11, unidentified miscreants targeted an Automated teller machine (ATM) of the State Bank of India (SBI) and decamped with over Rs 10 lakh cash from it here.
The incident was reported from the SBI ATM kiosk at Hatasahi under Lingaraj police station limits in Smart City.
The cases of loot are persistently on the rise in the smart city and challenging the Commissionerate Police, as the robbers are maintaining their looting streak.
Police have started an investigation into the matter after a complaint in connection with the incident was lodged by the Chief Manager of Khariar SBI branch.
As per sources, miscreants broke open the ATM using gas cutters and fled with around Rs 14.80 lakh cash. Bank officials informed that the last transaction was made in the ATM at around 8:30 pm on Sunday. It is suspected that the miscreants targeted the ATM late at night.
“As per the information, there was around 14.80 lakh cash in the ATM and the last transaction was around 8:30 pm. We suspect that gas cutter was used in stealing cash from the ATM,” said chief bank manager Debi Prasad Mishra adding that a complaint in this connection has been lodged.
Khariar SDPO, Arup Abhisekh Behera said, “We have received a written complaint regarding theft of cash from the ATM. We have registered a case and the IIC is investigating it. Only after an investigation, we can say how many miscreants were involved.”
The teachers found the school to have been burgled on Saturday morning. When headmistress Urmila Sahu, teachers, and other staff reached the school, they found the doors of the office room and adjacent rooms partially opened and locks lying on the ground.
The headmistress immediately informed the committee members and the block education office (BEO) about the incident. Later school chairperson, Swarnalata Bej informed the police about the incident.
Also Read: Rs 20 lakh looted from ATM in Balasore, act caught on CCTV camera
“When we reached in the morning, we found the doors of the office and other rooms half-open. Suspecting theft, we informed the committee members and the block education office (BEO),” said headmistress Sahu.
Informing about the incident, school chairperson Bej said, “I came to know about the incident from the headmistress. She informed me that the doors of the office and other rooms were broken open and the locks lying on the ground. When I reached the school, I found the headmistress’ statement to be true. Then we informed the police."
On being informed, a team from Chandbali Police Station reached the spot and launched an investigation.
It is worth mentioning that, three cases of robbery have been reported from the same Mahulia Panchayat in the last 15 days. Earlier, the Anganwadi centres at Pathargada and Panijharia villages were burgled.
Miscreants allegedly decamped with valuable gold jewelleries worth Rs 15 lakh and cash worth Rs 50,000 from a house within two hours after its owner went out for some work.
Such incidents, which keep on happening despite police patrolling and surveillance, have reportedly become a cause of concern for residents.
As per reports, Suranjan Kumar Das stays in the Bramheswar Bag area. Das hardly leaves his house unattended. On November 20, he went out for two hours for urgent work after locking his house. His wife and son were out for work. In the meantime, looters had burgled his house.
On returning home, Das was shocked to find his house broken. After examining inside, Das found gold jewelery and Rs 50,000 cash missing.
Expressing concerns over the incident, Surajan Das said, “Staying in Bhubaneswar is fraught with danger. Miscreants are active everywhere. We are scared to venture out of the house for a few minutes.”
Prabhat Kumar Nanda, a local resident, also sounded concerned over the incident. “The house was looted in broad daylight. Had anyone been present in the house, the miscreants might have brutally attacked them. It is really too risky living in the capital city,” Nanda said.
Police have arrested three persons of the Poda Punia gang and recovered some stolen gold. However, some items have not been seized. Das alleged that two necklaces, two mangalsutras, and some bangles have not been recovered.
ACP (Zone-6) SN Mudulli said, “We have seized some stolen items and located a jewellery shop where the stolen items were exchanged.”
As per reports, Bibhu Prasad Mohapatra of Jagannath Nagar Road area engaged a woman domestic help identified as Mami Patra in his house for a monthly salary of Rs 4000. As construction of Mohapatra’s house is underway, he has been keeping cash in his house to make payments to labourers and masons.
According to the owner, when he found the cash of around Rs 1 lakh was missing, he checked the CCTV fixed inside the wardrobe. The domestic help was seen in the CCTV footage stealing around Rs 1 lakh cash from the wardrobe. Following the theft, the family filed a complaint at Laxmisagar police station.
After the incident, the accused has been absconding. Police have registered a case and started a manhunt for the accused. At the time of filing of this report, no reactions were received from the police.
Notably, a similar incident had taken place in the Khandagiri area of Bhubaneswar a few days ago. A youth, who was engaged as a caretaker of an elderly woman, had decamped with valuable gold jewelleries. Following a complaint, the Khandagiri Police arrested the caretaker youth and seized the stolen gold.
According to sources, over eight masked miscreants carrying firearms chased an ATM van in an SUV and motorcycles. They waylaid the van at a secluded place near Kalim Bagicha Rice Mill. As per reports, pointing a pistol, miscreants asked the driver to stop the van. Thereafter, the miscreants fled from the spot with a trunk loaded with cash from the van. The trunk reportedly had cash of over Rs 1.5 crore.
On being informed, Athagarh Police launched a probe and manhunt for the miscreants.
“The money was withdrawn from the Athagarh SBI. Then we went to GIMSAR, Swapneswar, market and then to Godijharia. When we were returning after loading cash in an ATM machine at Godijharia, an SUV stopped in front of us. We were four in the van. Seven to eight masked miscreants got down from the SUV and came to us, all carrying pistols and sharp weapons. They first snatched the rifle from me and then terrified others in the van with sharp weapons. Thereafter, they took the cash trunk and sped away from the spot,” said Ranjan Kumar Dehury, a security guard accompanying the cash in the van.
Also read: Robbers use gas cutter to loot SBI ATM, scoot off with cash in Odisha's Balasore
Recalling the incident, loader boy, Sanjay Swain said, “Like any other day, we withdrew money from the SBI ATM. After loading cash in ATM machines at Madhapur, Athagarh Bazar, and Godijharia, we were returning when a stone hit our van near the rice mill. As the driver slowed the vehicle, miscreants in an SUV and a bike stopped us and took the cash trunk at gunpoint. Before leaving the spot, they also took away our mobile phones. They were speaking in Odia.”
“We were scheduled to load cash in 13 ATM kiosks. The incident occurred when we had already loaded four ATM machines and nine more were left,” he added.
Informing about the incident, Cuttack Rural SP, Mihir Panda said, “They had already refilled four ATMs and were going to refill the other ATMs. Then they were intercepted by seven to eight criminals in a Scorpio van. They looted the cash trunk at gunpoint. We suspect the trunk had cash of over Rs 1.5 crore. We have formed three teams to investigate the case. They are on the job. Blockings have been put up at different locations. We are in touch with the police in the neighbouring districts.”
When asked about the involvement of the staff, Panda said, “It can’t be ruled out. We are investigating the matter from all possible angles.”
According to the police, the office building of Badasarapali Panchayat under Bandhugaon block is under construction. This is why the panchayat office was functioning from an Anganwadi centre near the Government Upper Primary School temporarily.
A gang of miscreants reportedly broke into the temporary panchayat office on Saturday night and looted assets including LED TV, computer, and CCTV cameras among others. They even didn’t spare important documents.
The peon of the panchayat office came to know about the burglary when he reached the office on Sunday morning. He found the lock broken and valuables missing. He immediately informed the Sarpanch who in turn registered a complaint at Bandhugaon Police Station.
On being informed, a team from Bandhugaon Police Station reached the spot, collected evidence, and launched a probe and a manhunt for the miscreants.
Meanwhile, locals have demanded early completion of the Panchayat office building.
(Reported by Giridhar Khara)
As per initial reports, thefts have been reported from at least four flats at Rajvatika Apartment in the city. Despite the presence of a security guard, the robbers managed to enter the apartment and decamp with gold ornaments, cash, and other valuables from at least four flats.
Sources said that the miscreants have looted the valuables after gaining entry by breaking the grille and locks of the concerned flats. It is said that the robbers have decamped with gold ornaments and other valuables worth Rs 1 crore.
“We had kept the gold ornaments for our daughter’s marriage. The miscreants have also looted ornaments of deities from our puja room as well,” said a victim.
The miscreants have left behind a wrench after burgling one flat. Local residents allege that miscreants gained entry into the apartment by scaling the boundary wall. They have blamed the ongoing construction work for the Sikharchandi project nearby.
Following the series of burglaries, senior police officials reached the apartment and initiated a probe with the help of forensic experts.
In a video, she along with her three male associates can be seen in a dance bar in Bhubaneswar. As per reports, the gang used to splurge the money they looted from their targets, mostly train passengers, at dance bars and hotels.
Muskan and her associates would come to dance bars in the evening, have liquor, and food and enjoy till midnight. After midnight, they would come out of dance bars and proceed toward the railway station to carry out their robbery plans. Muskan reportedly enticed gullible passengers coming out of the station while one of her associates would act as an auto rickshaw driver and other members remained hidden in the dark.
The next day they would hit the dance bars again and such was their daily routine.
On October 14, four members of the gang along with mastermind Muskan were arrested by the Commissionerate Police.
Today the Commissionerate Police arrested another key associate of Muskan’s gang.
The incident occurred on October 2 but the same came to the fore recently after the family members of the victim lodged a complaint with the Badambadi police station.
According to the victim, identified as Tapas Samal, a resident of Madhapur village under Kujang block in Jagatsinghpur district, he was returning home from Angul on October 2. By the time he reached Cuttack, the Paradip bound bus had already left. At around 8 pm, two bike-borne youths stopped him and offered him a lift. After covering some distance, they offered him cold drink.
Moments later, he lost his sense. When he regained his sense, he found his money purse, money, ATM Card and mobile phone missing.
“When I regained my sense, I tried to stand up but couldn’t. It seemed my all strength had been drained out. I took a nap there for more than one or two hours. Thereafter, I managed to stand up and plodded up to a police station. There I narrated what had happened to me and sought their help,” said Tapas.
“They took it lightly. They dropped me at Jaipur Square, near my village. From there I came to place which was look like a mutt. There I asked the local youths to give me some food. They then informed my family members who then came and took me to my house,” he narrated.
He alleged that the miscreants had already withdrawn money amounting to more than Rs 1 lakh from his account.
During the period when Tapas was incommunicado, his family members thought he had been kidnapped. They alleged they had visited the police station in Kujang along with some police stations in Cuttack but to no avail.
They said had the police shown alacrity nothing would have happened to their son.
However, Badambadi Police has lodged a case and launched an investigation to trace out the miscreants.
The targeted temples are Maa Basuli temple, Maa Tarini temple and Maa Mangala temple.
According to sources, the priests and local residents came to the temples on Sunday morning only to find the locks broken and deities’ gold ornaments, money from donation boxes and other valuables missing. They immediately informed the police about the incidents.
Later, police teams visited the temples, collected evidence and recorded statements of the priests and local people.
Informing about the incident, Asish Panda, a priest, said, “The miscreants barged into the temples in the night and stole gold ornaments and other valuables. In our temple, they seemed to have gouged out the gold eyes of the deity using a screwdriver.”
A Mahagaba Panchayat resident, Kalyani Dash said, “Every morning, we come to the temple to clean the premises. When we reached the temple this morning, we found the temple being burgled. The looted articles include a Ganesh idol, ornaments and the utensils of the deities.”
Registering a case, the police have launched a probe and manhunt to nab the miscreants.
All the students reportedly had halted at Kantabanji railway station on Tuesday night. Sources said one person allegedly gave them some cold drinks after which the three of them fell unconscious. The condition of one student is said to be stable while another is absconding after the incident.
It is alleged that the mobile phones of all three unconscious students have been looted along with some cash.
"We had returned from Sambalpur after the examination. As we reached late at the station, we decided to stay back. All four students consumed the cold drink from an unknown person. Later, we realised that mobile phones and wallets of the three of us had been looted," said one of the students.
Meanwhile, the GRP officials could not be contacted over the matter.
The detained babas claimed that they were in no way associated with the miscreants’ gang and that they are sadhus from Uttar Pradesh and have come to Odisha on a visit.
They alleged a person invited them to his house, then informed the police and handed them over to the cops.
After the incident of six miscreants posing as naga babas taking a resident of Raghunathpur village in Patia area for a ride and decamping with gold ornaments, people have become more cautious and alert. When a person spotted this quintet moving in an SUV, he suspected them. He devised a plan and invited them to his house. Later, he called the police to inform them about the presence of naga sadhus, leading to their detention.
“He asked us to sit, saying he would treat us with food. He called the police instead and handed us over to the police,” said a member of the group.
There are many similarities between the group that looted ornaments on Sunday and the group that was detained on Monday. While the first group comprised six members, the second was a quintet. While the first group was moving in an SUV, the second was also moving in an SUV. While the SUV used by the first group bore an Uttar Pradesh registration number so is the van of the second group.
Police said all the stations have been alerted about the movement of such miscreants. The Commissionerate Police too has contacted the Uttar Pradesh Police to collect information about the detained so-called sadhus.
“We are investigating to find out the purpose of their visit. We would like to advise people not to entertain such suspicious-looking people. If they spot any such people, they should immediately inform the police,” said Sudhir Kumar Sahu, IIC, Mancheswar Police Station.
As per initial reports, three miscreants entered the ATM and looted the cash after breaking open the chambers using a gas cutter and other instruments. The entire act of looting cash from the ATM has been captured in the CCTV camera of the kiosk.
In the video, three masked men can be seen committing the offence. The miscreants have also damaged the CCTV cameras installed near the kiosk.
Though the exact amount of cash looted from the ATM is not clear, police have started investigation after getting information about the incident. Meanwhile, the bank authorities could not be contacted over the matter.
The accused, Rupesh Kumar hails from Bihar and police got some links regarding the involvement of inter-state criminals.
“We had constituted multiple teams and we have learnt that eight accused were involved. We have managed to nab one accused from Vaishali area in Bihar. The accused Rupesh was involved and helped others to escape,” said Jajpur SP, Vinit Agarwal.
According to Agarwal, police have recovered three motorcycles used in the crime. “Primarily it has been ascertained that the robbers are from Bihar and no local involvement has come to the fore. Further investigation in this connection is underway,” Agarwal added.
It is pertinent to mention here that armed robbers raided a jewellery showroom in a busy market area of Vyasanagar town in the Jajpur district of Odisha last month. The miscreants looted around 10 to 11 kgs of gold ornaments from the jewellery showroom.
The incident took place when the two from Andhra Pradesh were reportedly on their way to Jeypore to buy a power tiller. The accused home guards are currently deployed at Padua police station in Koraput district.
Shockingly, the mastermind of the gang is a former samiti member, reports said.
According to the police, two men from Andhra Pradesh were on their way to Jeypore to buy a power tiller. Due to excess heat, they decided to take rest in a rest shed. Meanwhile, the five accused reached the spot in a car and assaulted them.
Before they could understand anything, the five beat them up, snatched all their money and fled the spot. Based on a complaint by the two men, Nandapur police had registered a case and launched a manhunt to nab the culprits.
During the probe, the investigating team ascertained the involvement of the home guards and made the arrests.
Briefing the media, Nandapur SDPO Sanjay Mahapatra said, “This was definitely a challenging task and very saddening at the same time. Out of the five accused, three are our staff including two home guards and a ‘gram rakhi’. The two other accused are local criminals who were previously involved in cases of ganja smuggling, extortion and loots.”
“But, the law is equal for all, be it home guards, policemen, advocates, politicians, journalists or some professional criminals. Strict action will be taken as per law,” Mahapatra added.
Around seven robbers had allegedly looted ornaments worth over Rs 12 crore in a major dacoity at the concerned showroom located at Vyasanagar on Monday.
Releasing the pictures, police said that the informants will be duly rewarded for sharing details regarding the robbers whose pictures have been released.
Jajpur SP said, “Investigation is on and we are analyzing all the footage from CCTV cameras including on escape routes. The call details will also be examined. It is suspected that the criminals were from outside the state. But we are investigating the case taking into account all aspects.”
Posing as customers, the robbers looted the ornaments and other valuables from the showroom at gunpoint. The miscreants had also attacked some staff of the showroom and even snatched the weapon of the security guard. The incident occurred between 1:30 pm to 2 pm on Monday.
The miscreants also took away the mobile phones of the staff and threatened them at gunpoint. All the robbers fled with around 15 kg ornaments including gold and diamonds, sources said.
As per initial reports, seven armed miscreants were involved in the dacoity. All the ornaments from the jewellery showroom, located at Vyasanagar, have reportedly been stolen.
Sources said that miscreants wielding guns entered the showroom and decamped with the ornaments after assaulting the employees. Two employees have been injured in the attack by the miscreants.
The miscreants initially snatched the weapon of the jewellery showroom guard and later held the staff and other customers present at the spot hostage. The loot occurred at around 1:30 pm and 2 pm.
The miscreants had entered the showroom posing as customers. When some staff tried to resist the miscreants, they were brutally assaulted.
Senior officials, including Jajpur SP have reached the spot and started an investigation into the incident.
Store manager Pranab Sahu said, “Initially two had come posing as customers. Two others initially attacked the security guard and some of our staff. They threatened our staff with guns.”
According to Sahu, the miscreants have also taken away some mobile phones and hard disk of the CCTV cameras.
As per initial reports, around 7 to 8 miscreants were involved in the bank robbery incident. The incident occurred at around 1:20 pm. All the miscreants entered the bank posing as customers.
Sources said that the armed miscreants looted the cash and gold ornaments after locking all the bank staff in a room.
On getting reports, police rushed to the spot and rescued the bank staff by opening the locker room.
Jaleswar SDPO and Chandaneswar police officials have started an investigation into the incident. It is suspected that the robbers fled towards West Bengal after committing the crime.
(This is a developing story, refresh page for updates)
The miscreants fled the spot after snatching Rs 9 lakh from the trio.
While the deceased and the injured persons have been identified as the residents of Saradhapali area under Bhasma police limits, the police have launched a manhunt to nab the miscreants.
According to sources, at around 5 am today the trio was going to a goat market in Handipani area under Lephripada police limits. To buy goats, they carried Rs 9 lakh with them.
As they were passing by the Tarini temple at Suruguda, three bike-borne masked miscreants, who are suspected to have followed the goat traders since long, waylaid them.
Seeing the miscreants, the rider of the goat traders accelerated the bike. But the miscreants kicked the bike following which the goat traders fell off the bike. The one who had carried the money bag started to run from the spot to save the money. But one of the miscreants opened fire at him and all of them sped away from the spot with the cash bag.
On being informed, a team from Lephripada police station along with a scientific team reached the spot and recovered the body for post-mortem. According to the injured goat traders, the miscreants were riding on a numberless bike.
A detailed investigation is underway.
The latest victim of the loot was a contractor residing in the area. The entire episode of the loot was captured on the CCTV camera installed by him at his home.
The camera footage revealed that the robbers broke into the house through the window and stole cash of Rs 1 lakh and gold jewellery worth Rs 5 lakh.
The residents have alleged police inaction behind the frequent loot incidents in the area.
“The miscreants broke our window and entered the house. They looted two idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi, gold jewellery and cash worth Rs 1 lakh from the house,” said Arati Dash, a Vijay Vihar resident.
Another resident, Ajeet Ray said, “Despite providing the police with all the CCTV footage, they are empty handed. The robbers have managed to loot seven homes in seven days, but the police have no idea about them.”
No comments have been received from police officials.
(Reported Byb Alok Mohanty, OTV)
The trader identified as Ajay Patra, who runs a grocery store, was on his way to Axis Bank along with one of his staff when the robbers intercepted them in a Pulsar motorcycle. In a flash, the miscreants snatched the bag from the staff of Patra who was riding pillion.
Patra reportedly sustained injuries after falling down from the motorcycle. “My brother and his staff were travelling on a motorcycle when the miscreants looted the money. My brother sustained injuries as the miscreants pushed his bike after snatching the bag containing the cash,” said Bhaskar Patra, brother of the trader.
According to Bhaskar, as the banks were closed for the past three days, they had a lot of pending cash to deposit today.
“We were coming to deposit the cash when the miscreants came from behind and dragged the bag. In the meantime, we also fell down from the bike. Police have started examination on the basis of CCTV footage,” said Ramesh, staff of the injured trader.
(Reported by Trinath Sahu)
The incident occurred on February 21 late night but the incident recently came to fore after the Railway police have started investigation into the case.
According to a source, like any other day Md Kurban, a native from Islampur of Bihar, had his dinner and came to the office. He went to the ground floor of the office to sleep. As he was going to sleep, some six to seven masked miscreants entered the room and before he could understand anything they started beating him up mercilessly.
Hearing the commotion and cry of Md Kurban, Ashok Maharaj, the driver, who was staying on the first floor, came to his rescue. But the miscreants didn’t spare him. They thrashed him before tying their limbs.
Thereafter they looted valuable equipment including jumper wire, small jumper, large span wire, bridle wire etc. from the store room of the office and decamped in a truck.
Registering a case, the Railway police have launched a probe into the case.
“On being informed, we reached the spot and found the information to be true. We launched a search operation in the nearby areas but to no avail. Our investigation is underway,” said R Shankar Rao, in-charge, Government Railway Police station, Bhadrak.
The couple has reportedly lodged a complaint in this regard at Nayapalli police station.
As per reports, the couple suspected a co-passenger of stealing their purse. Though the couple frisked the suspect, they could not find the purse.
Alleging no cooperation from the staff of Mo Bus, the victim couple also claimed that the concerned bus driver didn't stop the vehicle even for a minute for them.
It is pertinent to mention here that the incidents of pickpockets are on a rise in Bhubaneswar. The police have been claiming to have kept things under control, but the unabated spike in pickpockets and loots in Mo Bus has only kept the commuters on their toes.
In September, a girl student boarded a Mo Bus (Number 16) from Ramadevi College while another got on the same bus from Vani Vihar square.
They both had their scheduled arrival at Palasuni. But before they could reach their stop, they were looted of their mobile phones from their bags.
In the same months, miscreants looted at least two mobile phones from Mo Bus passengers in Bhubaneswar. Though police swung into action in no time, the looters could not be nabbed.
Reported by Alok Mohanty, OTV
The victim, Bholanath Sarangi, who runs a mini bank, was cheated by two scammers in broad daylight on the pretext of exchanging a five-hundred rupees note for five hundred rupee notes.
In a statement to the media, Sarangi said, “The miscreants projected themselves as non-Odias, working as site engineers and asked for the address for exchanging foreign currency. After some time, they asked for the highest currency note available with him.”
He further added, “After talking for a brief period, they demanded a particular series of 500 rupee notes on which Bhola allowed them to check from bundles of currencies available with him from which they cunningly took Rs 60,000 in three installments of Rs 20,000 each.”
Bhola found he was cheated when he counted his total cash of Rs1.44 lakh. The cheated amount was Rs 60,000.
The police, based on the CCTV footage of the incident, are currently investigating this matter.
(Reported by Niranjan Behera)
The burglar, identified as Sushant Rui Das, had looted gold ornaments from the workshop located at Firingi Bazar in Cuttack on July 4.
According to sources, the Purighat police has recovered 900.32 gram gold worth around Rs 50 lakh from the accused.
The Purighat Police had formed a special team to nab the accused. After a detailed investigation, police got to know that the accused, Sushant, had fled to the capital city of West Bengal.
In a joint operation with Kolkata police, the police team from Cuttack arrested the accused and brought him to Odisha.
"I was under severe depression over family issues. I am not a regular offender, it was my first time," said the accused.
"The accused was working at the workshop for a while. After gaining trust, Das committed the crime and fled, " Pinak Mishra, Cuttack DCP said.
The driver has been identified as Jayram Majhi. The investigating team has managed to seize only 55.76L from their possession while the looters have used the remaining money. The five were arrested following a raid in the Komna area, the SP added.
"We had launched a manhunt to nab the accused. We had sealed all the main roads besides entry and exit points through the state and national highways and conducted a strict checking of all the vehicles passing through these points,” the SP briefed media persons at a presser.
“In a pre-planned manner, the van driver used various means to reach the house of his relatives to avoid arrest. He first took an auto-rickshaw, a cycle, a motorbike, and a car to escape with the money. However, we were on the lookout and managed to nab all the five involved in the case,” the SP added.
Worth mentioning, four persons including two bank staff, a security guard and a driver were out to refill several ATMs of the State Bank of India in the area.
As the van reached the ATM at Khariar, two of the staff got inside to refill the ATM, while the driver, after distracting the security guard, hijacked the van and fled the spot. Subsequently, he abandoned the vehicle near Bharuakani forest in Khariar.
Based on a complaint by the manager of the SBI main branch in Khariar, police had launched a manhunt to nab the looters.
The trader was killed after sustaining injuries due to firing by the miscreants during the loot, said sources.
As per reports, six traders had come from West Bengal to the cattle market in Hattabadpada today morning. The miscreants targeted one of them having Rs 20 lakh cash with him. They opened fire at him and decamped with the money.
The deceased businessman has been identified as Sheikh Jamshed Ali, a resident from Bengal's Jhargram area.
A police team from Rural police station reached the spot and launched a probe into the incident.
The loot took place near Haladia canal in Gunupur.
As per initial reports, the owner was opening the shop when the miscreants arrived on a bike and snatched the bag containing the gold ornaments and cash from him.
The shop owner lodged a complaint with the local police. A manhunt has been launched to nab the accused.
Further details awaited.
The injured man has been identified as Lokanath Subuddhi, who is a jeweller. His father Bhagaban Subuddhi also suffered injuries in the attack. Hearing their cries for help, local people came to their rescue and rushed them to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.
While it is yet to be ascertained whether the miscreants succeeded in their attempt or not, the Janla police have started an investigation into the incident.
Report says, Bhagaban and his son Lokanath, residents of Dakhinamunda Muhan village under Info Valley police limits, run a jewellery shop in Janla market. Like any other day, they were returning home after closing their shop on Sunday night. At a deserted place, a miscreant waylaid them and attempted to loot the jewellery bag they carried with them.
When the father-son duo resisted, the miscreant opened fire at them and fled the spot. The incident, which is the second such incident after the area was put under newly-founded Info Valley police station, has triggered anger among the residents.
“When our village was under Jatni police limits, there used to be frequent patrolling. No such crimes were reported earlier. Now with our village being put under Info Valley police limits, loot cases are increasing as the new police station is short-staffed,” said a resident of Dakhinamunda Muhan village, Krushna Mohan Subuddhi.
Another resident Pradeep Patnaik also ascribed the increasing crime cases to the staff-starved Info Valley police station.
In this regard, no reaction has so far been received from Info Valley police station.
The miscreants fired shots while trying to flee from the spot.
As per reports, the miscreants also fired at the shopkeeper, identified as Kaviraj Subudhi, who tried to stop them from fleeing. However, the bullet missed him by few millimetres and he escaped unhurt.
Subudhi told the reporters, “There were no customers in the shop at that time except myself and my assistant. The miscreants stormed into my shop and sprayed some chemical on my face before pocketing four gold necklaces and other jewellery. While my assistant ran away for cover after seeing one of them with a gun, I blew a siren I had kept near me.”
He said hearing the sound of the siren, neighbours came rushing in following which the miscreants fired blank shots and tried to flee from the spot on the bike they came with. “However, the bike did not start and they hijacked another bike from a delivery boy by pointing a gun at him. They then made good their escape by abandoning their bike,” Subudhi said.
It is worthwhile to mention that the three-tier Panchayat polls were recently concluded and the State is getting ready to host the Urban local body polls on March 24.
Nevertheless, the fact that the miscreants could muster so much courage to stage a day-light loot at a busy market place, not far from a police out-post, raises many questions on the intelligence and the effectiveness of the police in ridding the streets of crime.
As per sources, Sridhar Patnaik, a resident of Jail Line in Malkangiri sought the help of two priests (pujak) to conduct Grah Shanti puja to remove negative effects/doshas of the malefic planets from his house and family.
The two fraudsters reportedly performed the puja in the bedroom of Sridhar's house and asked him to ensure minimal interference in the long ritual. In the meantime, they executed their planned loot during the time.
After concluding the ceremony, the duo allegedly locked the bedroom and warned the house owner not to enter it for four days to prevent the wrath of the malefic planets.
Later however disregarding the warnings Sridhar entered the room but was taken aback to see the almirah inside wrecked.
Afterwards, Sridhar craftily called back the two imposters to his house on some important work and caught the accused before handing them over to the police.
Based on the complaint and preliminary investigations of the loot case, police have arrested the two accused and seized the stolen valuables.
Speaking to OTV, Sridhar said, "I did not care about the Grah Dosh warnings by the two priests and opened the sealed room only to discover that our almirah was broken the contents inside were scattered. Upon close look, we found the gold ornaments, cash, and other valuables were missing from the closet."
The accused has been identified as Krushnachandra Behera who was employed as a driver by Bibhuti Bhushan Sahu, a resident of CDA locality in Cuttack, who owns a petrol pump near Nuapatna (Choudwar). The police recovered Rs 1,34,000 cash from a bush where Behera had hidden the money.
As per the complaint, on January 5 night Sahu urgently needed some cash. Relying on Behere, Sahu sent the former to the petrol pump to fetch the money.
When Behera didn’t return even after the usual time required for both ways journey, Sahu grew suspicious. To find out what had happened to Behera, he contacted the manager at the petrol pump who told him that Behera had left the pump two hours back with the money.
Sahu then went out in search of his driver only to find him on Nuapatna bridge with the vehicle. Seeing Sahu, Behera started crying and told the former that four miscreants took away the cash from him.
Following this, Sahu lodged a complaint with the police which lodged an offence and started an investigation. The police grew suspicious about Behera’s claims and subjected him to questioning.
Behera, police said, broke down during intensive questioning and confessed to have faked the robbery. He then took the police to a bush from where the police recovered Rs1,34,000. Subsequently, Behera was put under arrest.
The victim, identified as Sanjukta Padhi was on morning walk when she was way laid by four bike borne miscreants in wee hours today near Sitadevi Khadanga Girls’ hostel.
According to reports, the youths advised Padhi to remove the jewellery she was wearing and asked her to keep it in safe custody in view of recent loot cases in the town. Later, they snatched gold and diamond jewellery weighing 150 grams that Padhi had kept in her vanity.
“At around 6.10 am, a Hindi speaking man approached and asked to come to his colleagues waiting in two other motorcycles. They identified themselves as police personnel. One of them asked me to keep all the jewellery in safe custody. Convinced by their suggestions, I started taking out my gold chain, rings and other jewellery which was subsequently snatched by the miscreants who immediately fled the spot,” said Padhi while narrating her ordeal.
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Following the incident, police have started investigation basing on the complaint filed by the victim.
“A case has been registered at Town police station. Already teams have been formed to nab the accused involved in the loot. The involvement of an inter-State criminal gang is suspected while further investigation is on,” said a senior police official.
Though the miscreants managed to break the ATM cabin and some parts of the machine, they failed to lay hands on the money stored in the ATM.
On being informed, police reached the spot and sealed the ATM after preliminary investigation.
Police sources said, miscreants would be identified after examining the footage of CCTV cameras installed on the ATM premises.
According to sources, a cash bag containing Rs 27 lakh was recovered from the backyard of a house owned by the relative of one of the accused.
While Central Range IG Soumendra Priyadarshi, Khurda Superintendent of Police, Sub-Divisional Police Officer and Begunia police station in-charge were present at the spot, raids were conducted at different locations by the joint team of cops.
As per latest reports, all the detained persons are currently being interrogated at Begunia police station.
On the day of the loot, four armed miscreants had robbed Rs 60 lakh from the officials of the private company who were travelling in a car.
Moreover, the gang is now on a loot spree which has unleashed terror among people particularly in Khandagiri area as the criminals looted cash worth over Rs 1.5 lakh, gold ornaments and other valuables in four separate incidents in the past 24 hours.
Sources said, four persons including two engineering students were reportedly targeted by the miscreants on Saturday night.
One of the victims informed that the miscreants had covered their faces with black clothes and attacked me with sharp weapons. They fled the spot after taking selfie.
"I was physically tortured by them near SUM hospital last night. They looted cash worth Rs 25,000 and other valuables from me. Before leaving they took selfies with me while posing with billhooks and revolver," said Sudhir Kumar Bout, a victim.
Another victim, Sourav Das said, "They took me to a nearby ATM on gunpoint and asked me to withdraw money from my account at around 2:15 AM. Apart from the cash, they also looted a gold ring and watch. The criminals asked me hold the gun and clicked a picture."
Meanwhile, police have started investigation taking into account the statements of the victims.