Bhubaneswar: Panic gripped Saradhabali area of Puri on Wednesday after a group of sword-wielding miscreants allegedly vandalized a sweet stall and looted cash in broad daylight.
According to reports, three youths stormed into the sweet stall of Soumya Ranjan Patra near Saradhabali bus stand in the afternoon. Brandishing swords, they allegedly threatened employees while looking for Patra’s younger brother.
The attackers then ransacked the stall, destroying a large quantity of Khaja, a traditional sweet, before fleeing with around ₹5,000 in cash from the counter.
“Three youths identified as Saswat Mohanty, Sambit Mohanty, and Bishnu terrorized our employees and vandalized the stall. They destroyed sweets worth thousands and looted money from the counter,” Patra told reporters.
On being alerted, a team from Kumbharpada police station reached the spot and began an investigation, examining CCTV footage from the locality. However, no arrests have been made so far.
Patra alleged that the incident could be linked to a confrontation earlier in the day involving his younger brother at a local temple.
