Bhubaneswar: Police on Friday arrested the mastermind behind the broad-daylight robbery and double murder at Panda Alankar jewellery shop in Panikoili of Jajpur district on January 4, 2024.
A special team of Panikoili police picked up Bikash Ray (32) from Motihari area on the Bihar-Nepal border late Thursday night. Police said Bikash, a resident of Bihar, had meticulously prepared the blueprint of the daring loot while he was lodged in a Bihar jail in another case. He was released on bail only a few weeks ago, following which Odisha Police intensified efforts to nab him.
On January 4, 2024, a six-member gang had stormed Panda Alankar showroom in Panikoili Bazar, shot dead two persons – customer Pramod Sahoo and employee Rajesh Mohanty – and decamped with gold ornaments and cash worth several crores.
Within days, police had arrested three members of the gang and recovered a major portion of the looted jewellery and the firearms used in the crime. The arrested accused were subsequently lodged in Circle Jail, Choudwar.
In a sensational turn last month, two of the three accused managed to escape from Choudwar jail by scaling the prison’s boundary wall. A massive manhunt is still underway to re-arrest the two fugitives.
