52-yr-old man held after 102 thefts

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Cuttack: A 52-year-old man was arrested here Tuesday in connection with at least 102 thefts, in and outside the state, over the past 30 years.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akhilesvar Singh said cash and ornaments worth around Rs 5 lakh have been recovered from the accused, Hemant Das of Hata Sahi under Lingaraj police limits in the Capital city.
Das began with petty thefts when he was 22 in 1988.
“The recovered gold ornaments include a necklace, two gold chains, two pairs of earrings and six rings. Besides, a silver coin, a pair of ankle bracelet and two iron rods have also been recovered from Das,” Singh said in a press conference.
So far Das’s involvement has been established in at least 102 heists across the country. “We hope a detailed probe will help unveil his involvement in some more burglaries,” Singh added.
Three other persons were also arrested on charges of buying stolen items from Das. “Chagala Moharana (43) of Hata Sahi in Bhubaneswar, Niranjan Sahu (46) of Kumbharpada area and Jagannath Senapathy (38) of Nimapara in Puri were arrested for procuring stolen ornaments from Das,” Badambadi police said.
About his modus operandi, police said Das would decamp with valuables, mostly ornaments, from people and dispose them after finding prospective buyers.
About the crackdown, the DCP said Badambadi police was investigating a theft bid case (137/18) at a medicine warehouse at Sriram Nagar in Badambadi police limits late May 8 when they zeroed in on Das. Das had unsuccessfully attempted to decamp with a few valuables from the warehouse of a Raunak Mishra, it is learnt. However, when he was fleeing from the spot, he forgot a part of his loot at the spot. “During verification of the ill-gotten items, we came to know of Das’s involvement,” Singh said.
Police nabbed Das when he was planning a robbery at a house here. “A team of the Badambadi police, led by Cuttack Zone-VI ACP Anil Mishra, raided his hideout in Bhubaneswar and made the arrest. Later, on inputs provided by Das, we arrested the three buyers of the booty,” Singh said.
He is also involved in a series of loot in Sadar police limits here May 3, police further said.