Jajpur: In a joint operation Jajpur police along with Mayurbhanj police have busted an inter-state ATM thief gang with the arrest of seven persons in connection with the loot from an ATM (automated teller machine) of SBI at Neulapur bazaar under Dharmashala police limits in Jajpur district on August 24.
“On the night of August 24 cash was stolen from an SBI ATM at Neulapur under Dharmashala police limits. Yesterday, we were successful in detecting and nabbing the accused persons in that case. An inter-state ATM thief gang was involved. Six members of this gang have been arrested. Five of them are from Rajasthan and the other is from Danagadi area of Jajpur district,” informed Jajpur SP Rahul PR briefing reporters today.
Another person who had helped the gang in the crime by supplying pre-activated SIM cards has been also arrested, the SP added.
He said that the gang members from Rajasthan had arrived in Odisha on August 20 and bought some pre-activated SIM cards from the person in Khordha on August 22. After that they came here and moved around to find suitable ATM to commit the crime, he added.
The SP said that police have seized instruments used for breaking open the ATM, the vehicle used for carrying the ATM and Rs 3.68 lakh stolen cash from them.
The accused persons have been identified as Aslam Hussain (35), Sadam Hussain (30), Md Jamshed Khan (32), Sumit Kumar alias Sonu (32) and MP Meena (23) (all from Rajasthan); Sk Idris alias Idu (36) of Tirjanga, Dangadi in Jajpur district and Tapan Kumar Pradhan (28) of Chatrama in Khordha district (pre-activated SIM card seller), police said.
A joint operation was carried out by Jajpur police along with Mayubhanj police over the last three days to catch the gang members and they were caught while they were planning to commit crime in Mayurbhanj-Jharkhand border, the SP said.
