Eight paddy thieves caught, thrashed black and blue by villagers in Odisha’s Bargarh

Eight alleged looters involved in paddy thefts from mandis and rice fields were caught by villagers red-handed and beaten black and blue before being handed over to police at Saharatikra village in Odisha’s Bargarh district on Wednesday.

According to sources, farmers of several villages in Bargarh district are currently harvesting their Kharif produce. Due to lack of storage facilities, the farmers keep the harvested paddy in their fields for further processes. Due to the cold and chilly winter nights, villagers fail to keep an eye on the paddy.

As per the allegations, taking advantage, the eight robbers travel from village to village on a pick-up van at night and take away quintals of paddy, leaving the farmers stunned in the morning. After repeated complaints of paddy theft, the farmers of Goudatikra and Saharatikra lay in ambush and caught the suspects red-handed as they attempted to decamp with stolen paddy in a minitruck late at night.

The accused, reportedly hailing from the Jujumura region of Sambalpur, include four juveniles.

Following the incident, Attabira police was alerted who reached the village and took the suspects into custody. An investigation is currently underway.

This proactive action by the villagers comes amid growing concerns over frequent thefts and robberies in the area. It has been reported that thieves have been using minitrucks to transport the pilfered rice to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where they sell it.