Cuttack: In a swift and coordinated operation, Cuttack police arrested two chain snatchers and a stolen gold receiver involved in a daring robbery near Urban Hat in Chhatra Bazar. The incident, which occurred in broad daylight on Wednesday, left a woman injured and triggered panic in the busy market area.
According to a press note issued by the DCP Cuttack, the crime took place around 12:10 PM on July 16, when Dillip Kumar Mallick and his wife were returning home on a two-wheeler. Near Chhatra Bazar Urban Hat, two men on a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle snatched the gold chain from Mallick’s wife. As the couple resisted, the miscreants allegedly dragged the woman off the scooter, causing her to fall and sustain injuries. One of the assailants then brandished a pistol to threaten the couple before attempting to flee.
However, alert locals managed to catch one of the attackers on the spot, while the other escaped with the stolen chain. Following a written complaint lodged by Mallick, the Malgodown Police registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act and launched a high-level investigation.
With the help of cyber cell data and the Special Squad team, police soon tracked down the prime accused — Biswanath Nayak alias Chindi alias Raja — and later apprehended his accomplice Hrudananda Singh alias Dipu, both residents of Jagatsinghpur district. Police also arrested Umesh Chandra Sahu, a goldsmith who received the stolen chain and attempted to melt it.
The arrests led to the recovery of key evidence, including a loaded 7.65 mm pistol, three live cartridges, two mobile phones, and multiple pieces of gold jewellery, including a melted gold ingot. A Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle, believed to be used in the crime, was also seized.
Police later discovered that the duo had committed another snatching earlier the same day near Bajrakabati Road under Mangalabag police station limits. All three individuals have been forwarded to court and face charges under Sections 309(6), 111(2), and 317(4) of the BNS, along with Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
Police have confirmed that the arrested individuals have multiple criminal cases pending against them across various police stations in Odisha.
