Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Government Railway Police Station (GRPS) on Monday arrested a youth for allegedly snatching a mangalsutra from a woman passenger travelling by train to Puri for the annual Rath Yatra.
The arrested accused has been identified as B. Kumar, a resident of Budheswari Colony in Bhubaneswar. Police have recovered five mangalsutras from his possession and claimed that he is a habitual offender.
According to reports, the incident took place when Kalpana Behera, a resident of Belapada village under Odapada block in Dhenkanal district, was travelling with her family to Puri to witness the Rath Yatra. The family had boarded a train from Mahadia Ph around 8 pm and was scheduled to reach Bhubaneswar at around 1 am.
When the train slowed down near the Laxmi Sagar overbridge in Bhubaneswar, the accused allegedly entered the coach, snatched the mangalsutra from Kalpana Behera’s neck and attempted to flee.
However, the woman’s family members, who were travelling in the same coach, managed to catch hold of the accused. They later handed him over to the Bhubaneswar GRPS after informing the police.
A case was registered based on the complaint filed by the victim, following which the accused was taken into custody. During interrogation, the accused reportedly told police that he had thrown the stolen mangalsutra near the Laxmi Sagar overbridge. A police team will visit the spot to recover the jewellery.
Bhubaneswar GRPS Inspector-in-Charge Ashok Kumar Gochhayat said that the accused is a habitual offender and frequently changes his place of stay after committing crimes.
“The accused is a habitual offender. He stays at different locations in the city and changes his location after committing crimes. Sometimes he stays in Budheswari Colony and sometimes in Saheed Nagar. Based on the complaint lodged by Kalpana Behera, we registered a case. The accused snatched the mangalsutra when the train slowed down near the Laxmi Sagar overbridge and tried to flee, but the victim’s brother caught him. The family members first took him to Khordha police and later handed him over to us. During questioning, he revealed that he had thrown the mangalsutra near the Laxmi Sagar overbridge. Police will visit the spot and recover the stolen item,” said Gochhayat.
