Koraput: Jeypore town police have achieved a significant breakthrough by arresting five local youths involved in a series of thefts reported across the town over the past five months. The accused were allegedly responsible for stealing five motorcycles from different locations and two cooking gas cylinders from the kitchen of Vivekananda Hostel at Vikram Dev University.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Bishal Nag (20) of Odia Medri Sahi, Rinku Bag (20), Sunil Paraja alias Lalu (19), Biju Rajnagar Aditya Khosla (23) of Christian Sahi, and Rakesh Harijan (23), also from Christian Sahi. Police have recovered five stolen motorcycles and two gas cylinders from their possession.
The latest case came to light on Thursday morning when the superintendent of Vivekananda Hostel, Laxman Patra, lodged a written complaint at the Jeypore Town Police Station reporting the theft of two cooking gas cylinders from the hostel kitchen located on the main road of Vikram Dev University. Acting promptly, police examined CCTV footage from the area and conducted a detailed investigation, which led to the arrest of Sunil Paraja from Odia Medri Sahi and the recovery of the stolen cylinders.
Further investigation revealed the involvement of the accused in multiple earlier theft cases. On November 4, 2025, Sumit Behera of Kantara Sahi had reported the theft of his motorcycle parked near Dolphin Hotel in Khalsa Sahi, leading to the arrest of Rinku Bag. Similarly, on January 29, 2026, Pintu Jani of Russia Colony near Glocal Hospital reported his bike stolen, following which Bishal Nag was arrested and produced before the court.
In another case dated January 23, Kamala Barik of Sleepwell Colony near Bariniput lodged a complaint regarding the theft of her motorcycle. Police arrested Aditya Khosla of Christian Peta, Biju Rajnagar Sahi, in connection with the case and sent him to judicial custody. Earlier, on September 9, 2025, P. Srinivas Reddy of Kumhar Sahi in Laxminagar Colony had reported a similar theft, leading to the arrest and court remand of Rakesh Harijan.
Town Police Station Officer Ullas Raut said sustained investigation, technical surveillance, and analysis of CCTV footage helped police trace the accused and recover the stolen property. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the group was involved in any other theft incidents in and around Jeypore town.
