Cops crack trader’s assault, loot case, arrest six | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Laxmisagar police on Thursday solved last month’s robbery and assault case involving a trader by arresting six men, including two acquaintances of the victim. Police identified the accused as Deepak Ranjan Mallick (28), Goutam Nayak (32), Pritam Padhi (23), Santosh Puhana (30), Sushil Samanta Singhar (29), and Abhijit Mohanty (24).
According to complainant Purnachandra Nayak (45), who owns a grocery store at Unit-I market, unidentified men attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon and stole his gold chain, bracelet and Rs 70,000 cash near Kalpana Chhaka at 2 am on the intervening night of March 23 and 24.
The incident occurred while Nayak was returning to his residence at Badagada Brit Colony after closing his shop. The perpetrators, concealing their identities with helmets and masks, arrived on two motorcycles. Nayak suffered severe cuts on his hands while defending himself. “We identified the six suspects through intelligence gathering, CCTV footage analysis and technical evidence,” said DCP Jagmohan Meena.
Police investigation revealed that two accused, Singhar and Puhana, were familiar with the victim. Singhar runs a vegetable shop in Unit-I market, while Puhana works as a driver in the same market area. Having observed Nayak’s routine of carrying cash late at night, Singhar and Puhana orchestrated the robbery with four accomplices.
During interrogation, police came to know that the accused secured Rs 2.4 lakh loan from a private lending company here by mortgaging the stolen gold ornaments. They distributed the loan amount amongst themselves. “We have recovered the stolen items — a gold chain weighing 27 grams and a bracelet weighing 15 grams. Their phones and bikes have been seized,” Meena said.
Police are investigating whether the gold loan company staff followed proper verification procedures while accepting the ornaments. Police officials confirmed that accused Mallick and Mohanty have previous criminal records.
According to complainant Purnachandra Nayak (45), who owns a grocery store at Unit-I market, unidentified men attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon and stole his gold chain, bracelet and Rs 70,000 cash near Kalpana Chhaka at 2 am on the intervening night of March 23 and 24.
The incident occurred while Nayak was returning to his residence at Badagada Brit Colony after closing his shop. The perpetrators, concealing their identities with helmets and masks, arrived on two motorcycles. Nayak suffered severe cuts on his hands while defending himself. “We identified the six suspects through intelligence gathering, CCTV footage analysis and technical evidence,” said DCP Jagmohan Meena.
Police investigation revealed that two accused, Singhar and Puhana, were familiar with the victim. Singhar runs a vegetable shop in Unit-I market, while Puhana works as a driver in the same market area. Having observed Nayak’s routine of carrying cash late at night, Singhar and Puhana orchestrated the robbery with four accomplices.
During interrogation, police came to know that the accused secured Rs 2.4 lakh loan from a private lending company here by mortgaging the stolen gold ornaments. They distributed the loan amount amongst themselves. “We have recovered the stolen items — a gold chain weighing 27 grams and a bracelet weighing 15 grams. Their phones and bikes have been seized,” Meena said.
Police are investigating whether the gold loan company staff followed proper verification procedures while accepting the ornaments. Police officials confirmed that accused Mallick and Mohanty have previous criminal records.
