Kendrapada: Police on Saturday arrested eight inter-district criminals and busted a major burglary gang involved in a series of theft cases under the Nikirai Police Station limits in Kendrapada district.
The arrested persons have been identified as Sk Mustaqul alias Mitu (30), Sk Sahil (25), Sk Tanbir (32), Sk Nasum (34), Sk Abdul (30), and Sk Anwar (40), all residents of Kendrapada district, and Saurav Mishra (22) and Akhaya Kumar Pothal (53) of Jajpur district.
According to the police, the case came to light following a complaint lodged on December 22, 2025, by Dambarudhar Barik of Dhola village. He reported that unknown miscreants had broken into his daughter’s house and stolen gold and silver ornaments along with cash worth Rs 30,000. The burglars also targeted the nearby Hanuman Temple and Gramadebati Temple of Dhola village, causing a total loss estimated at Rs 3.5 lakh.
In a separate incident, Ashok Kumar Jena of Dihamugabadi village lodged a complaint alleging burglary at the Bata Mahabir Temple of Dihamugabadi, the Tarini Temple, and the Gramadebati Temple of Nalapari village. Gold and silver ornaments worth about Rs 1 lakh were reportedly stolen after breaking the temple locks.
Following the incidents, the Inspector-in-Charge of Nikirai Police Station, along with IICs of Kendrapada Town and Bari Police Stations and special police squads, launched an intensive investigation. The coordinated effort led to the detection of the cases and the exposure of an active inter-district burglary gang involved in similar offences across Kendrapada, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Cuttack districts.
Police recovered all stolen properties related to the cases. The seized items include melted gold weighing 4 grams, silver mukutas weighing 17 grams, melted silver weighing 555 grams, a weighing machine, burglary tools, cash of Rs 14,670, one motorcycle, one scooty, and four smartphones.
Further investigation is underway.
