Paradip: Police Wednesday arrested a five-member gang of looters here and produced them in a court.
The accused were M Ramu, Michel Kali, M Some, Rana Pradhan and Niranjan Gouda.
Acting on a tip-off, the police conducted raid at a place behind Mundapada slum here late Monday night and made the arrests.
Two choppers, a knife and a crowbar used for breaking ATM machines, screw drivers and some liquor bottles were seized from the accused, ASP Bishnu Charan Mishra told reporters.
Efforts are on to nab the other members of the gang, he added.
According to reports, two members of this gang had snatched a bag containing Rs 3 lakh from a retired port employee Chandramani Swain April 3 in Balikuda area of Jagatsinghpur district when the latter was on the way after drawing the money from a bank.
Police started an investigation into the incident on the basis of the CCTV grab. The two were Rana and Niranjan. However, the money has not been recovered from the duo, the police said.
The two are natives of Ganjam district and would be brought on remand for further probe, Paradip IIC Subhranshu Shekhar Nayak said.
The arrested looters are members of a gang that loots jewellery shops, shopping malls and commuters using ‘relay’ method, Nayak added. According to the modus operandi of the gang, one of them works as an informer, while another loots the valuables. The looter hands over the looted items to another member of the gang who waits on the way and manages to escape to a safe place.
The gang has entered Paradip for the first time and its next target was an ATM counter in the town, confessed the accused.
