Police thwart robbery plot on Bhubaneswar outskirts

Even as the Commissionerate Police has stepped up security and vigilance to maintain law and order during the ongoing Durga Puja, a robbery plan was thwarted by police in the Balipatana area on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday night. 

Five persons were arrested along with the seizure of a sword, liquor, and iron rods from their possession. 

According to police, four of the accused have several cases pending against them at various police stations. Police, while carrying out patrolling in the area on Thursday night, noticed five people sitting on the banks of the Kushabhadra River under Balipatna police limits. The five were planning to rob a country liquor trader, police said.

Briefing media persons, Subhanarayan Muduli, ACP (Zone-4), said, "We raided the area and captured five persons. A sword, two iron rods, and some liquor bottles were seized from them. It was dark. As we interrogated the five, they initially did not reveal anything.”

The ACP further stated that when they were quizzed individually, they admitted that they were planning to rob a country liquor dealer who has a shop in the nearby area. The liquor dealer usually shuts shop at 10.30 PM and the five were waiting for him, he added.