Jharsuguda: On Sunday, the Brajrajnagar police dismantled a burglary ring operating across districts, focusing on foreign liquor establishments. They resolved two related burglary incidents and captured four repeat offenders from Ganjam district in Odisha.
Identified as the mastermind of the operation was 23-year-old Prasanta Behera from Ganjam. His connections in the area, particularly relatives living near the Orient police station, were believed to have facilitated the gang’s planning of the crimes. Behera reportedly enlisted the help of Kisan Pandi (22), Narayan Jena, also known as Mithun (25), and Chitrasen Jena, who goes by Chintamani or Chitra (23). All four are originally from Ganjam and became acquainted while working together in Surat.
Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Gundala Reddy Raghavendra stated that the gang rented an SUV in Berhampur and conducted surveillance on various liquor shops in Jharsuguda prior to executing their burglaries. On the night of July 8-9, they targeted liquor shops within the jurisdictions of the Orient and Banharpali police stations. During the Orient incident, the assailants reportedly assaulted a night watchman, bound him, destroyed his mobile phone, and made off with cash and liquor bottles before leaving the district. The total amounts stolen from the two shops were Rs 15,000 and Rs 59,000, respectively.
Following the burglaries, Superintendent of Police G R Raghavendra, alongside the Brajarajnagar SDPO and the inspector in charge of the Brajarajnagar police station, took charge of the investigation. They formed several special investigation teams (SITs), deploying dedicated units to Gajapati and Berhampur while other teams analyzed CCTV footage and collected technical evidence to develop leads.
During the operation, police recovered Rs 35,700 in cash, the SUV believed to have been used in the crimes, two crowbars, a digital video recorder (DVR), three mobile phones belonging to the suspects, and broken locks, among other items linked to the burglaries.
All four suspects were found to have prior criminal records in Ganjam, Nayagarh, Khurda, and Bhubaneswar, indicating their involvement in organized inter-district burglary activities. SP Raghavendra emphasized, “Jharsuguda police have successfully solved both FL shop burglary cases within 50 hours and arrested the members of an organized inter-district gang. Through scientific investigation, CCTV analysis, and technical intelligence, we have recovered stolen property and the vehicle used in the offense. We are dedicated to enforcing strict measures against organized crime and urge business owners to enhance their security protocols.”
