Bhubaneswar: The twin city Commissionerate Police arrested a priest on charges of bike lifting after recovering 24 stolen two-wheelers from his possession, Friday. The accused – Krupasindhu Mohapatra, 54, of Janla area – performed rituals at a temple near his residence in the morning hours and stole two-wheelers later in the day, Commissioner of Police Sanjeeb Panda told mediapersons here.
About the crackdown, the top cop said they zeroed in on Mohapatra while probing a bike lifting incident under Capital police limits here April 6. “Niranjan Singh, a resident under Capital police limits here, approached us April 6 alleging that his bike was stolen from the parking lot of Capital Hospital around 4:30 pm when he went to visit a relative at the facility,” Panda said. While examining the footages of CCTVs installed in the locality, police found Mohapatra fleeing with Singh’s two-wheeler, he said.
Preliminary investigations revealed Mohapatra targeted parking lots in the City. “He stole two-wheelers mostly from parking lots of AIIMS, Apollo Hospitals, Kalinga Hospitals and BMC Mall, and sold those to prospective buyers,” Panda said, adding that Mohapatra had been arrested by the Capital police for a petty crime a month back. The accused has been booked under Sections 379 and 413 of the IPC, the top cop said.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP
