Khordha: In a major breakthrough, police have arrested two more accused in connection with the sensational daylight jewellery heist at Jankia in Khordha district, in which armed miscreants had looted ornaments worth over ₹11.55 crore.
According to police, the incident took place on August 24 when a gang of eight unidentified men, armed with guns, bombs and sharp weapons, stormed into Sai Sonu Alankar jewellery shop at Chhanagiri. The gang arrived on four motorcycles, hurled bombs in front of the shop to create panic, and looted 11.5 kg of gold and 5 kg of silver ornaments. The robbers also threatened the shop staff at gunpoint and assaulted them before fleeing.
During investigation, police found that a 10-member gang was involved in the crime, of which eight have been identified. Earlier, four accused, including one receiver, were arrested and forwarded to court. With the latest arrests, the number of apprehended accused has risen to six.
From the two recently arrested youths—one from Purighat, Cuttack and another from Kanas, Puri district—police seized 1,013 grams of gold and 2,231 grams of silver. With this, the total seizure in the case so far stands at 1.91 kg of gold, 4.59 kg of silver, ₹9.45 lakh in cash, along with a country-made gun, live ammunition, and a bhujali.
The raid was carried out under the supervision of DIG Central Range Cuttack Satyajit Naik, Khordha SP Vivekanand Sharma and Additional SP Srinibas Mohanty.
The operation involved multiple officers including SDPOs of Khordha and Balugaon, IICs of Jankia, Sadar, Nirakarpur, Balugaon, Banapur, and Tangi, along with special squads from Khordha, Cuttack UPD, and Puri district.
Police said efforts are on to trace the remaining accused and recover more of the looted property.
