Balasore: Police on Wednesday night arrested three more persons in connection with the theft of brown sugar from the malkhana (evidence storage room) of Soro Sessions Court on November 2.
The arrested trio – Laxman Das (60), Laxmidhar Das (43), and Gagan Samal (31) – all residents of Raghunathpur village under Soro police limits – were produced before the local court today after medical examination at Soro Health Centre.
Police seized 505 grams of brown sugar worth approximately Rs 50 lakh from their possession.
According to police, the development came after the earlier arrest of prime accused Bhavani Shankar Mahal of Kahalia village in Nilagiri. During interrogation, Mahal confessed that he had handed over the stolen brown sugar to Laxman Das for further sale. Acting on the disclosure, a special team led by Sadar SDPO Subhransu Nayak and Soro IIC Mukund Murari Patra conducted raids and nabbed Laxman along with his two associates, who were actively peddling the contraband in the area.
A fresh case has been registered against the three under the NDPS Act, in addition to the ongoing investigation into the court malkhana theft case (Crime No. 901/2025).It may be recalled that thieves had broken into the Soro Sessions Court malkhana on the night of November 2 and decamped with seized gold and silver jewellery, guns, and a large quantity of brown sugar kept as case property in various drug-related cases.
