String of thefts inside Odisha’s Lok Seva Bhawan raise serious security concerns

A string of thefts inside Odisha’s Lok Seva Bhawan, one of the State’s topmost high-security administrative hubs housing ministers’ and secretaries’ offices, has triggered major concerns about security lapses.

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Despite round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and deployment of security personnel, thieves have repeatedly targeted the building.

Over the past few weeks, air-conditioner units, mainly compressors, have been stolen at regular intervals from various departments. In the latest incident, Excise Department filed a complaint at Capital Police Station after two AC compressors were found missing.

The department’s Deputy Secretary, Parikshit Bhoi, formally lodged an FIR, prompting police to launch a detailed investigation.

Sources reveal that earlier, AC units were also stolen from the Women & Child Development Department and the Rural Development Department. ACs installed outside different blocks of the building continue to disappear, suggesting a pattern.

While police have refrained from making detailed comments, they maintain that an investigation is underway and that the culprits will be nabbed soon.

However, the recurring thefts inside a high-security zone have raised troubling questions. How could thieves gain access to such a protected area and escape without detection? Or is the crime being orchestrated from within the system?

Suspicion now hovers over the maintenance wing, with many questioning whether theft is possible without insider involvement.

No comments were received from local police or the department officials in this regard.