Cuttack: With the arrest of six members of an inter-state gang of robbers, Markatnagar police Monday claimed to have cracked at least 11 cases of robbery in CDA and Bidanasi areas in the city in the past eight months.
The six accused, arrested in West Bengal, were brought to the city on transit remand. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sanjeev Arora said 47 gram gold, a pair of silver anklets, a silver coin, a silver chain, six mobile phones, `26,000 in cash, two shovels, three screwdrivers, two digital cameras and a gold weighing machine were seized from the six men.
Arora said the gang was active in CDA and Bidanasi areas for the last eight months and that the gang members were living in a rented accommodation in Badambadi area in the guise of peddlers. They used to visit various locations in the city during daytime to identify houses that remained locked or where the owners were absent in order to carry out robbery in such houses during the night. The robbers used to sell the robbed items in Calcutta.
The gang members had executed a major robbery in Markatnagar area August 14, 2015. They had subsequently robbed several houses October 23 and 27 and December 12 and 29 in 2015; and January 7 and 17; and February 4 and 11 last. The gang had carried out robberies in Bidanasi area November 25, 2015 and January 9 last.
While investigating the robbery cases, police traced the robbers by examining CCTV footage of the robbed houses and tracking the mobile phone location of the robbers. After gathering enough information, a police team led by Markatnagar police station inspector-in-charge Bimal Kumar Barik went to West Bengal and managed to arrest the six robbers. Another member of the gang and a trader who used to buy the robbed items from the gang managed to escape, said police sources.
The arrested men were identified as Abdul Mola, Rabi Ulla, Munna Sha, Kalu Das, Abdul Sheikh and Latif Sheikh. They were first produced in the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate in Sialda and then brought to Cuttack on transit remand. After being produced in the court of the Cuttack Sadar SDJM, the six men were sent to judicial custody as their bail petitions were rejected.
DCP Arora said more stolen goods would be recovered after the absconding member of the gang and the trader are nabbed. PNN
